40 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



The latter effect is quite peculiar, however. The tetanus lasts 

 only a short time, no - matter how long or brief the stimulation 

 may be. Moreover, the effect cannot be obtained by a second 

 stimulation unless quite a long interval passes between the stimuli. 



(Some of the above mentioned facts were demonstrated on an 

 animal with destroyed cord.) 



3i (174) 



Deglutition through an esophagus partly deprived of its 

 muscularis, with demonstration. 



By S. J. MELTZER. 



[From the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research^ 



As a result of the experiments which Kronecker and I carried 

 out about twenty-seven years ago, it appeared to be conclusively 

 established that liquids are squirted down into the esophagus by 

 the force of the contractions of the mylohyoid muscles and some 

 muscles of the tongue, and that liquid thus projected reaches the 

 cardia long before the arrival of the peristaltic wave. At that time 

 the experiments were carried out on a human esophagus. About 

 ten years ago in a series of experiments on the dog I found that 

 our contention held good also for that animal. Cannon and Moser, 

 however, who studied the esophagus by the fluoroscopic method, 

 although confirming our conclusions for the human being, state 

 that " in the dog and cat but little variation was seen in the swal- 

 lowing of liquids and solids." Recently Schreiber stated that even 

 in the human being, liquids, just like solids, are not squirted 

 down but are carried by the muscles of the mouth and tongue to 

 the pharynx, whence they are conveyed further into the esophagus 

 by the contractions of the constrictors of the pharynx and are 

 finally transported into the stomach by the peristaltic movements 

 of the esophagus. In other words, liquids are also slowly pushed 

 forward through every section of the path of deglutition by the 

 contraction of the muscle fibers of that section ; there is no part of 

 that long path through which liquids are thrown or squirted. 



I do not intend to enter into an analysis of the experiments and 

 arguments upon which Schreiber founded his views. The object of 



