Am i884arm' }  Neutral  Salts  in  the  Stomach.  197 
KELATIYE  ABSORPTION  OF  NEUTRAL  SALTS  IN  THE 
HUMAN  STOMACH. 
By  W.  Jaworski. 
These  experiments  were  carried  out  under  normal  physiological  con- 
ditions in  a  healthy  man  who  drank  the  solutions  (500  cc.)  of  chemi- 
cally pure  salts  and  remained  at  rest  until  the  residual  fluid  was 
recovered  from  the  stomach  by  means  of  an  aspirating  pump  specially 
devised  for  the  purpose.  This  was  then  submitted  to  analysis,  and  the 
changes  in  the  percentage  of  the  salts  determined. 
These  investigations  showed  that  in  the  human  stomach  the  absorp- 
tion of  individual  salts  is  different,  and  dependent  upon  their  chemical 
composition. 
The  acid  carbonates  (magnesium  and  sodium)  underwent  the  greatest, 
the  chlorides  (magnesium,  potassium,  sodium,  and  ferric)  the  least 
absorption,  and  the  sulphates  (sodium  and  magnesium)  between  these 
extremes.  • 
The  difference  in  the  absorption  of  two  salts  is  the  greater  the  longer 
the  solution  is  present  in  the  stomach. 
The  presence  of  acids  in  the  stomach  hastens  absorption,  and  the 
difference  in  the  absorption  of  individual  salts  becomes  more  pro- 
nounced. Carbonic  acid  especially  accelerates  absorption,  which,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  hindered  by  alkalinity  of  the  contents  of  the 
stomach. 
The  presence  of  common  salt  neither  accelerates  absorption  nor 
increases  the  gastric  secretion ;  the  action  is  negative  in  both  directions. 
The  secretion  of  chlorine  is  greater  in  proportion  to  the  alkalinity 
of  the  saline  solution  and  the  length  of  time  the  latter  remains  in  the 
stomach.  Acid  sodium  carbonate  excites  the  secretion  of  the  gastric 
mucous  membrane  less  than  the  neutral  carbonate. 
When  distilled  water  is  introduced  into  the  stomach,  secretion  of 
acid  contents  (hydrochloric  acid)  ensues,  and  that  in  proportion  to  the 
lowness  of  its  temperature. 
Should  a  salt  undergo  dissociation  of  its  acid  and  base  in  the 
stomach,  these  are  not  absorbed  in  the  ratio  of  their  combining  pro- 
portions. Saline  solutions  may  be  found  on  aspiration  still  present  in 
the  stomach  an  hour  after  their  introduction,  whereas  the  same  quan- 
tity of  distilled  water  disappears  almost  entirely  within  half  an  hour 
! 
