154 



Scientific Proceedings (120). 



symptom of the latter. The low calcium form of rickets is, 

 generally speaking, the rickets of tetany. Tetany may of course 

 occur independently of rickets. If tetany persists long enough, 

 however, evidence of defective calcification of the skeleton would 

 almost certainly develop. 



On theoretical grounds entirely, we think it possible that the 

 rickets which develops in the youthful subjects of the severe 

 functional derangements of the kidney may belong to the low 

 calcium form of the disease; in other words, that the rickets in 

 these patients may be truly endogenous in origin depending 

 primarily on the inability of the kidney to excrete phosphorus. 

 If this view proves to be correct "renal dwarfism" 1 is in reality 

 renal rickets and ought so to be called and regarded. 



73 (1820) 



Variations in aliquot fractions of gastric contents. 



By NICHOLAS KOPELOFF. 



[From the Department of Bacteriology, Psychiatric Institute, 

 Ward's Island, New York City.] 



Aliquot fractions obtained by the Rehfuss method of fractional 

 gastric analysis do not accurately represent the total gastric 

 contents, as indicated by the results of the following experiments 

 on subjects showing no clinical evidence of gastric disease: 



1. Instead of the usual periodic aspiration, the total gastric 

 contents were removed after three quarters of an hour by with- 

 drawing 10 c.c. fractions in rapid succession. A wide variation 

 was found in the acidity of these fractions, indicating that the 

 total gastric contents are not a homogeneous mixture and that a 

 single 10 c.c. sample is not a valid aliquot. This was more 

 noticeable in subjects having a high rather than low gastric 

 acidity. 



2. (a) By inserting three Rehfuss tubes in one individual and 

 aspirating the fractions simultaneously at fifteen minute intervals, 

 it was found that there was considerable variation of acidity in 

 different parts of the stomach at the same moment. X-ray 

 pictures established the relative position of the tubes. 



1 Barber, Hugh. Quart. Jour, of Med., 192 1, xiv, No. 55. 



