34 



THE GASTRIC JUICE 



"Such have been this man's condition and cir- 

 cumstances for several years past ; and he now 

 enjoys the most perfect health and constitutional 

 soundness, with every function of the system in 

 full force and vigour." (Dr Beaumont, loc. cit. 

 p. 20.) 



In 1834 Eberle published a series of observa- 

 tions on the extraction of gastric juice from the 

 mucous membrane of the stomach after death ; in 

 1842 Blondlot of Nancy studied the gastric juice 

 of animals by the method of a fistula, such as 

 Alexis St Martin had offered for Dr Beaumont's 

 observation. After Blondlot, came experiments on 

 the movements of the stomach, and on the mani- 

 fold influences of the nervous system on digestion. 



It has been said, times past number, that an 

 animal with a fistula is in pain. It is not true. 

 The case of St Martin is but one out of a 

 multitude of these cases : an artificial orifice of 

 this kind is not painful. 



