Pepsin.  357 
or  restorative  agent.  My  results  under  the  first  head  somewhat  sur- 
prised me,  and  might  do  others  who  have  not  made  this  subject  one  of 
experimental  inquiry ;  one  or  two  examples  will  perhaps  serve  as 
illustrations.  It  will  be  seen  that  I  have  used  a  minimum  quantity 
of  acid,  so  as  to  test  the  full  peptic  power  of  the  various  samples — the 
amount  of  acid  often  recommended  in  a  given  quantity  of  fluid  being 
much  larger  than  can  possibly  exist  in  the  human  stomach.  In  each 
instance,  the  white  portion  of  hard-boiled  eggs  chopped  in  small  pieces 
was  used,  and  after  digestion  the  undissolved  portions,  before  weigh- 
ing, were  brought  to  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  condition  of  dry- 
ness as  they  were  in  previously  ;  100  grains  were  introduced  into  each 
of  six  vials — to  five  of  these  ten  drachms  distilled  water,  ten  minims 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  and  ten  grains  of  pepsin  of  various  kinds 
were  added ;  in  the  sixth  four  drachms  of  the  distilled  water  were 
replaced  by  the  same  quantity  of  pepsin  wine,  each  drachm  of  which 
should  have  represented  two-and-a-half  grains  of  Pepsina  Porci ;  all 
were  digested  under  precisely  the  same  conditions  at  a  temperature  of 
100°  for  12  hours.  The  following  gives  the  amount  by  weight  of  un- 
dissolved albumen  in  each  vial : — 
No.  1  left  undiss 
66  o  u 
a  g  a 
a    4  66 
«   5  « 
a     Q  66 
Ived,    1 J  gr. 
21  " 
2-i  " 
28  " 
41  " 
56  " 
Now,  the  medical  man  who  is  desirous  of  testing  the  value  of  pep- 
sin as  a  remedial  agent,  in  one  or  more  cases  where  he  considers  it 
ought  to  be  of  service,  if  there  is  any  good  in  it,  will  be  perfectly  sat- 
isfied of  its  efficacy  should  Nos.  1  or  2  be  dispensed,  more  or  less  so  if 
No.  3 ;  but  what  if  No.  5  ?  or  if  he  should  have  prescribed  pepsin 
wine,  as  No.  6  ?  It  might  be  said  that  this  latter  is  largely  prescribed, 
and  also  taken  by  invalids  without  prescription,  frequently  with  good 
results.  I  can  only  reply  that,  according  to  the  above  statement,  it 
possesses  about  one- half  the  peptic  power  that  it  should  do,  and  that 
as  the  stomach  is  a  laboratory  whose  operations  are  somewhat  obscure 
even  to  the  closest  observer,  in  imitating  its  processes  in  a  vial  where 
we  lack  the  vital  agency,  the  activity  of  any  samples  operated  on  is 
almost  sure  to  be  underrated.  Nevertheless,  experiments  conducted 
carefully  under  the  same  conditions  are  valuable  as  affording  compara- 
