Action of Bile and some of its Constituents. i 5 



the small intestine. Dr. Schiipbach made experiments with a Vella 

 fistula in two dogs ; also upon the rabbit's large intestine in situ, 

 and by the Magnus method with the isolated intestine of the cat 

 and also upon the rectum in dogs. 



In the dogs with Vella fistula he made experiments with a ball 

 of sealing wax, with a thread attached to a little weight. The bile 

 was injected into the intestine. He also found that psychic irrita- 

 tions by holding ham near the nose of the animal excited increased 

 peristalsis. When the bile was injected he noted how fast the ball 

 moved in the intestine. The bile was mixed with physiological 

 salt solution, or with milk, or with water. He also used the Mag- 

 nus method of excised intestine. 



He concludes that bile in the dog either has no special influence 

 upon the small intestine in normal conditions or in many of the 

 cases has an inhibitory effect. In the case of the implantation of 

 the gall bladder into a Vella fistula, the gall of the dog had no 

 special effect upon the peristalsis of the small intestine. In a state 

 of hunger and at different hours after taking nourishment, the ac- 

 tion of the bile was indifferent or a weak inhibition of peristalsis 

 ensued. 



In rabbits under ether and morphine, with the small intestine in 

 situ, the bile acted in an inhibitory manner. The excised cat's in- 

 testine was inhibited by bile. The large intestine of the rabbit in 

 situ had its peristalsis increased by bile. When through an injec- 

 tion of gall the large intestine had increased peristalsis, the small 

 intestine remained quiet. Bile injected into the rectum of the dog 

 called out defecation. 



Our experiments were made upon etherized rabbits and cats. 

 They were thirty-eight in number. We used two methods in the 

 study of intestinal peristalsis. The first one was that of Magnus 

 on the excised intestine in a modified Ringer solution with oxygen 

 bubbling through it. The other was the insertion of a rubber 

 balloon into about the middle of the jejunum in the small intestine 

 and in the ascending colon of the large intestine. This was con- 

 nected with the delicate piston recorder of Dr. Schlayer, of Tubin- 

 gen. The bile used was that of cats and of rabbits. 



Effect of bile on small intestine. — With the method of Magnus 

 small and large doses locally applied decreased peristalsis. In one 



