35° 
chemis.tr y of the digestive processes. 
Konowaloff 1 collected over 10 litres, as above described, and sub- 
jected the fluid to chemical examination. It was a clear, colourless, 
odourless fluid, which could be kept indefinitely without undergoing 
decomposition. When diluted with its own volume of water, it becomes 
somewhat cloudy ; with four volumes of water, a permanent opalescence 
resulted, which on further dilution eventually disappeared. On neutral- 
ising with alkali, a flocky precipitate appeared, redissolving in the slightest 
excess. Cooling the juice to 10-11° C. caused a finely granular precipit- 
ate to appear, which dissolved again on warming. Its specific gravity 
averaged 1-00478 ; total solids, 0478 per cent. ; acidity, equivalent to 
0"544 per cent, of hydrochloric acid. When the acid gastric juice is so 
removed the reaction of the urine becomes alkaline 2 (0-96-1-31 per cent, 
of Xa 2 0). 
Freshly secreted gastric juice is said to contain traces of proteid, 3 
which, on standing, is converted into albumoses and peptones ; these, with 
traces of mucin, and the two enzymes, pepsin and remain, are the only 
organic constituents. 
The inorganic salts consist chiefly of chlorides (with traces of phos- 
phates) of sodium, potassium, and calcium, and traces of magnesium 
and iron. 
The total amount of solids in gastric juice is very small, seldom 
amounting to more than 2 per cent., and often being much less. Excess 
of alcohol causes a flocky precipitate containing all the organic matter. 
Alkalies and alkaline carbonates added to gastric juice cause a 
cloudiness or a flocky precipitate of tricalcic phosphate, with traces 
of phosphates of iron and magnesium, and some organic matter. The 
precipitation of tricalcic phosphate by ammonia shows that calcium is 
present as acid phosphate in gastric juice. 
Quantitative Composition of Gastric Juice. 
I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 
Human. 
Dog. 
Dog. 
Sheep. 
Water . 
Total solids 
Organic matter 
HCl . 
CaCl„ . 
NaCl" . 
KCl . 
XH 4 C1 
Ca 3 (POJ. 2 ) . 
Mg 3 (POJ 2 . 
FeP0 4 
994-40 
5-60 
3-19 
0"20? 
0-06 
1-46 
0-55 
0-125- 
973-06 
26-94 
17-13 
3-34 
0-26 
2-50 
1-12 
0-47 
1-73 
0-23 
0-08 
971-17 
2S-83 
17-34 
2-34 
1-66 
3-15 
1-07 
0-54 
2*29 
0-32 
0-12 
986-14 
13-86 
4*05 
1-23 
0-11 
4-37 
1-52 
0*47 
1-18 
0-57 
0-33 
The analyses are by C. Schmidt, quoted from Maly, Hermann's "Handbuch," Bd. v. (2) 
S. 70 ; Ann. d. Chcm., Leipzig, 1854, "Bd. xcii. S. 42 ; and " Verdauungssafte," S. 44. 
Analysis I. is of human gastric juice, obtained from Schmidt's case of 
gastric fistula already quoted ; it is evident that this gastric juice contained 
1 Inaug. Diss., St. Petersburg, 1893; Jahrcsb. ii. d. Fortsdhr. d. Thier-Chem., Wies- 
baden, 1893, Bd. xxiii. S. 289. 
2 Schoumow-Simanowsky, Arch,, de se. biol., St. Petersbourg, 1893, vol. ii. p. 4tv2. 
3 Hammarsten, " Lehrbuch der physiol. Chem.," Wiesbaden, 1895, Aufl. 3, S. 233. 
