1879.] On Pepsin-forming Glands during Secretion. 



387 



deeper parts of the glands than those also taking a thin rim or star 

 arrangement. 



3. The Lesser Curvature. The glands here have the character given 

 above for pyloric glands. 



4. The Pylorus. The glands are simply shallow depressions of the 

 mucous membrane, and are still more transparent than the glands of 

 the smaller curvature. 



In hunger the opaque thickly granular region encroaches on the 

 greater curvature. 



In digestion the granules diminish, beginning at the opaque part 

 near the greater curvature, so that the opaque thickly granular region 

 is more and more limited to the extremity of the fundus. 



As far as concerns the diminution of the coarse granules of the 

 chief-cells during digestion, this is but a repetition of what we have 

 already said of the dog, cat, and rat. The point of additional interest 

 is this. Sections of alcohol-hardened fragments of the greater curva- 

 ture show that here, as well as in the fundus, there are a large number 

 of chief-cells. Probably no one examining such sections of the greater 

 curvature would consider them as other than typical fundus glands 

 with chief-cells and border-cells. Yet the former cells in the fresh state 

 do not contain the coarse granules characteristic of chief- cells. 



Deferring for a moment the consideration of this, we would mention 

 some experiments we have made on the amount of ferment-content of 

 the various parts of the rabbit's stomach. 



Equal-sized pieces of the mucous membrane of a rabbit were taken 

 and put in absolute alcohol. A. From the fundus. B. From the 

 greater curvature. C. From the smaller curvature, including part of 

 the pylorus. These were kindly tested for ferment by Mr. Sheridan 

 Lea, of Trinity College, both by the ordinary digestive method and by 

 Grriitzner's colorimetric method. The result was that A contained 

 more ferment than either B or C ; B and C contained a not very 

 different amount, B rather more than C. 



Now A contained border-cells and coarsely granular chief-cells ; B 

 contained more border-cells than A, but chief-cells with scarcely any 

 coarse granules ; C contained only pyloric cells, with possibly here 

 and there a solitary border-cell. 



Hence the part with the pre-eminently large number of border-cells 

 offered hardly appreciably more pepsin than the part containing few, 

 if any ; the conclusion that the border-cells do not form pepsin appears 

 to us unavoidable. 



Moreover a comparatively very large amount of pepsin was con- 

 tained in the part of the mucous membrane with a densely granular 

 chief-cell. This, we think, is enough to connect the ferment with 

 these granules ; in this opinion we are confirmed by the result of the 

 following experiment. Two rabbits of the same breed, and in all 



