EXPERIMENTS ON DIGESTION. 
201 
sentery, in the direction of the ductus choledochus, a ligature was 
passed round it by means of a crochet, or an ordinary curved 
needle. 
In order to be certain that the ductus choledochus is actually 
secured, it is necessary to observe the following precaution. The 
ligature must be tied at the distance of two or three lines from the 
duodenum, at most, for otherwise there would be risk of not obli¬ 
terating a small hepatic duct, which, in the dog, connects itself with 
the ductus choledochus, before the formation of the latter by the 
cystic and hepatic ducts, properly speaking. In the earl}^ period 
of our experiments, we twice omitted to tie this little canal, because 
we had applied our ligature too far from the duodenum. 
Having fixed our ligature around the duct by means of a double 
knot firmly tied, we sometimes cut it close to the knot, and, at other 
times, we left it hanging out of the wound in the linea alba. In 
some cases we totally separated the duct from the duodenum, by 
cutting it below the ligature. 
The intestine being replaced in the abdominal cavity, we closed 
tlie wound by a suture comprising the skin and the abdominal mus¬ 
cles. By this proceeding we prevented the formation of ventral 
liernia. 
The Professors now proceed to give a detailed account of their 
experiments on eleven dogs, four of whom died in consequence of 
the operation, and the others were destroyed at periods varying 
from three days to as many weeks after the operation. We will 
not follow them through the lengthened tale of horrible suffering 
which they relate, but content ourselves with giving an account of 
the result of the experiments. 
A. Phenomena manifested after the ligature of the duct. —1. A 
little while after the operation all the dogs sheAved a disposition to 
be sick, or actiially were so. This was evidently the consequence 
of the irritation produced by the ligature on the ductus choledochus 
and its nerves being propagated to the stomach. It was not rare 
to see this vomiting, or disposition to vomit, continue during seve¬ 
ral days, as well by reason of the inflammation which was produced 
by the operation, as that which was the result of the continuance 
of the vomiting. 
2. If, as was generally the case, the animals had not eaten for a 
short time before the operation, that which was vomited consisted 
of a fluid clear as Avater, or oidy a little turbid, and that turbidity 
bordering on a yellow colour, and mixed Avith a frothy mucus. 
This fluid Avas ordinarily acid. We twice found some acetic acid 
in it, and, once, the hydrochloric acid. Wlien the vomiting a\\'is 
prolonged during several days after the operation, the aliments tliat 
were rejected were more or less softened and dissolved, 'riiey 
