104 
Analysis  of  .the  Gastric  Contents. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I    February,  1898. 
the  filtrates.  This  difference  appears  from  the  results  to  be  due 
principally  to  the  smaller  amount  of  combined  acids  which  are 
present  in  the  filtrates,  the  free  acids,  both  mineral  and  organic, 
being  practically  the  same  in  both  contents  and  filtrates. 
In  several  cases  the  total  acidity  of  the  contents  and  filtrates  was 
the  same  ;  in  all  other  cases  the  filtrate  total  was  less.  In  one  case 
the  difference  of  the  total  acidity  of  contents  and  filtrate  was  1-33 
grammes  per  mille ;  in  one  case  0-56  per  mille ;  in  all  other  cases  it 
was  less  than  this.  These  examples  serve  to  demonstrate  the  neces- 
sity of  performing  the  quantitative  tests  with  the  mixed  contents  and 
not  with  the  filtrates,  as  has  been  advised  by  several  investigators. 
On  this  point  my  results  are  in  accord  with  those  of  Martius  and 
Luttke  in  their  investigations  of  this  subject.77  The  work  of  these 
authors  shows,  in  addition,  that  different  filtrates  from  the  same 
contents  give  varying  results. 
The  results  of  the  investigation  in  individual  cases  may  be  seen  in 
the  following  analysis,  which  I  have  taken  from  the  fifty  analyses  : 
Case  I. — Total  quantity  of  mixed  contents,  150  c.c. 
Free  hydrochloric  acid,  present. 
Lactic  acid,  absent. 
Butyric  acid,  absent. 
Acetic  acid,  absent. 
Albumin,  slight  trace ;  acid  albumin,  albumoses  or  peptone, 
present. 
Starch,  absent,  erethrodextrin,  present. 
Total  acidity,  2-47  grammes  per  mille. 
Total  hydrochloric  acid,  2-03  grammes  per  mille. 
Total  free  hydrochloric  acid,  1-37  grammes  per  mille. 
Total  combined  hydrochloric  acid,  o-66  gramme  per  mille. 
Total  organic  acids,  0-35  gramme  per  mille. 
Total  acid  salts,  o  il  gramme  per  mille. 
Total  quantity  of  filtrate,  105  c.c. 
Total  acidity  (filtrate)  2-30  grammes  per  mille. 
Total  free  hydrochloric  acid,  1-37  grammes  per  mille. 
Total  combined  hydrochloric  acid,  0  40  gramme  per  mille. 
Total  organic  acids,  0  40  gramme  per  mille. 
77  Martius  u.  Luttke,  Magensaure  d.  Menschen,  loc.  cit.  See  also  on  this 
subject  Giegle  u.  Bias,  ZeitscJw.f.  klin.  Med.,  Bd.  XX;  and  Kwald,  Zeitschr. 
f.klin.  Med.,B&.  XX. 
