696 
ON MEDICINAL PEPSIN. 
latter part of the day. Next morning the required amount 
of pepsin was weighed out, and added to the mixture of 
albumen and dilute hydrochloric acid. The bottle and its 
contents were then placed in a water bath, and kept at a 
temperature of 38 Cent. (100 4 F.). Digestion was regarded 
as complete when, at the end of four hours, particles of albu- 
men could no longer be seen, and when the insoluble residue 
consisted of a very minute quantity of fibrous or membra- 
nous matters only. These observations were easily made, 
except in the experiments upon samples of pepsin containing 
large quantities of starch. In such cases, when digestion 
appeared to be finished, the result was not recorded until the 
contents of the bottle had been carefully elutriated, or strained 
through fine muslin, so that it might be ascertained with cer- 
tainty, by the appearance of the residue in the bottle or on 
the filter (muslin), whether or not the whole of the albumen 
had been dissolved. 
In the first series of experiments upon albumen, five gram- 
Table showing Results of First Series of Experiments on Albumen 
(25 cubic centimetres of acidulated water). 
Weight of 
MAKE OE PEPSIN. 
Pepsin 
employed in 
Grammes. 
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
E. 
E. " 
0-050 | 
Digested 
Not 
digested 
Not 
digested 
Not 
digested 
Not 
digested 
Not 
digested 
0-075 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
o-ioo 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto* 
Ditto 
0-150 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-175 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-200 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-250 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-300 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-400 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
0-500 
Digested 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
1-000 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
1-500 
Ditto* 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
2-000 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
3-000 
• . . 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
4-000 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
5-000 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
results of special experiments indicated that it was more favorable to diges- 
tion than an acid of greater or less strength. It was also ascertained that 
water containing five per cent, of hydrochloric acid appeared to completely 
prevent the digestive process taking place. Is it, therefore, wise to ad- 
minister acids along with or immediately after pepsin, in cases in which the 
stomach already contains an excessive quantity of acid ? 
* Experiments with this make of pepsin were here discontinued, in con- 
