The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-07-22
WISCONSIN
PHYSIOLOGY OF DIGESTION.
CONCLUDED.

DeeD COmpleteu, anu peTIectioH III ILLS Is
of great Importance, as many cases OF IN
digestion are traceable to Effectiveness
here, and this alone; the next step is
MISUNDERSTANDING. This is per-
formed, first by the action of the lips and
tongue, upon which latter the food is car
ried back just past the anterior palatine
arch, constituting the voluntary part of the
process. At this point the epiglottis, as
if endowed with intelligence and placed
here, like an ever wakeful sentinel to
guard the orifce of the trachea, deter
mines its direction by closing the CLOTHS,
forming an inclined plane with the aid of
the tongue, along which the morsel glides,
and by the muscular contraction is rapidly
passed along the oesophagus through the
cardiac orifce into the stomach, which is
mere dilatation of the alimentary tube
Here it is subjected to two kinds of ac-
tons, viz: 1st, mechanical, produced by
the muscles of the organ itself; and, End,
chemical, brought about through the
agency Of the gastric fluid.
lst. Actions Of the stomach. These
are both numerous and various and are
the results of alternate and irregular con-
fractions and relaxations of the .tdSclcuH
bundles Of fbres) of which the muscular
coat of the organ Is composed, either di
minishing in every direction, or throwing
II into r,rio,,c 1Iotort;opc aooorJIpr
one or more parts are in state of active
contraction while others remain passive,
or are perhaps relaxed. These motions
however, although seemingly so irregular
are so arranged that the alimentary mass
not only undergoes a thorough trituration,
but at the same time is compelled, in the
language of DR.. Beaumont, ito revolve
about In the interior from point to point
and from one extremity to the other. As
soon as any portion of 1t becomes reduced
to the pulpy semihuid mass called chyme,
it is passed along towards the small ex-
tremity Of the organ, and projected
through the pyloric orifce into the duo
denum, by piecemeal, until it is entirely
emptied. But the reduction Of the con-
tents of the stomach is not dependent
wholly, nor principally, upon the me-
chanical movements to which they are
subjected, and Of which the above is but
an imperfect description. Therefore we
come, End, to
Chemical action, or action ofthegastric
juice. This secretion, poured out from
the walls ofthe stomach by its numerous
aaN, gastric tubes, in appearance not
very unlike the saliva, is a limpi1, trans
parent fluid, which unites with the ali
mentary substance chemically, the and
quantity, depending rather upon the gen
eral requirements of the system than the
amount of food introduced into the diges-
tive cavity; which circumstance is of
great Importance in dietetic point of
view. 1t has distinctly acid reaction,
and its principal constituents are hydro
chloric acid, acetic acid, and an animal
substance called 'pepsin, soluble in cold,
but insoluble in hot water, resembling
somewhat albumen, together with the
muriates and phosphates of potash, soda,
magnesia, and lime. 1t is a powerful an
tiseptic, and when added to a solution of
albumen, the latter is coagulated 1t is
shown that the dissolution of the food in
the gastric juice is a purely chemical pro-
cess, and may be performed out of the
stomach as well as In it, by means either
of this natural solvent, or Of an artificial
gastric fluid, composed Of pepsin dissolv-
ed in hydrochloric acid, with the equisite
heat and trituration. Pepsin itself, how
ever, it is believed by Prof. Liebig, and
pretty we'll established by his experiments
does rot possess the solvent principle,
but, acting like sort of ferment, produc-
es certain changes in the contents Of the
stomach, such as to dispose them to solu-
ton in the acids before mentioned. The
evidences of this analogy of It's action to
that of ferment, is seen in the fact that a
very small quantity of it possesses the
power of exciting the required change IN
an almost unlimited amount of alimentarv
matter which as has been previously
stated, "only Il definite quantity of these
matters when thus prepared can be dis
solved in limited amount of dilute acid F"
1t is said that heat may be made to play
the same part in the process as the pep
sin by which it may be replaced, the d.
lutte acids with high temperature being
sufficient of themselves to dissolve azo-
tized compounds. 1t appears then that
the Office OF the gastric secretion is to ec.
feet change only in the nitrogenized
substances, and there is no evidence that
this change is anything more than that of
simple solution, In which condition with
out further metamorphosis it is absorbed
Indeed there is proof positive to this eff
feet, and it is found that, both in the
change occurring previous to absorption,
and IN the ultimate formation of the nu-
tritive plasma (materiaD afterwards by
which the different tissues of the body
are nourished, and in case Of lesion, new
ones supplied, the laws of definite pro-
portions are strictly observed.
The non-azotized substances. incIudino
TWO varieties, viz: the saccharine (con-
tanning sugar. and oleaginous Ioilyl the
former of which are converted into the
latter, although having nothing to do
SSa L., L