The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-06-05
PEPSIN.
A Mysterious Secretion of the Hog
Defying Analysis.
Factories That Keep Busy Making
Artificial Digestions.

In chicago Is busy all the year around
in making artificial digestions
For il is the purpose of pepsin to re-
lieve the man whose stomach has re-
belled Mt harmful methods of eating.
After each meal he simply takes q
little tablet of the digestion, which he
carries in n convenient vest pocket,
swallows il and forthwith forgets-in
theory at least all his troubles Any
one will admit that this is charming
arrangement.
In health manufactured pepsin is
not necessary because the stomach
furnishes its own supply. There are
millions of little cells til at have no
other duty than to furnish the ferment,
and when the food comes down which
they have been saving up, and by its
peculiar properties the marvellous pro-
cess of digestion goes forward. But
| il q man overworks his stomach by
|
going to work too soon after eating,
the cells grow tired and finally fall
sick and cannot perform the task set
for them. To remedy this difficulty
some inventive genius conceived the
idea about ten years ago of taking the
pepsin from the stomachs of hogs and
concentrating it into n convenient form
for use. Since that time the process
which was then confined to the chemi-
cal laboratory and was conducted on
an exceedingly narrow basis, has as
sumed the proportions of an industry,
and thousands of persons are using the
product. There are varieties of
chewing-g gum which are said to con-
tain pepsin in small quantities.
The laboratory in which it is made
is located close to where 1,500, 900
hogs are killed annually, and within
an hour from the time the animal
breathes its last the part of his stom-
ach (about the size of mans haud) in
which the pepsin can be found is in
the hands of Professor Manu's men.
The pieces are placed ut once in rows
of crooks containing dilute hydrochlo-
rc acid, .0)2 per cent solution,
where they are left all day long. They
are then taken out and the men put
them through secret chemical proc
ess to remove the peptone, or the
product of the digestive action of the
pepsin on the membranous parts of
the stomach, with which it comes. 1t
then goes to vacuum pan, where, by
steady, low heat, the moisture is
partially removed, after which it is
spread on glass plates, where it dries
down to thin, white yellow scales,
having peculiar, brilliant lustre.
Girls pack the product in bottles and
it is reads for shipment.
The market price is about 70 cents
an ounce, and it takes ordinarily about
100 hogs stomachs to make pound
Of pepsin. Numerous tonics COM
posed of wine and pepsin are also
made at the factory.
No one knows just what pepsin is.
1t has never been isolated from the
cells of the stomach, and no chemist
has ever been able to analyze it. 1t
is to the stomach what magL gLetism is to
the magnet. The United States
pharmacopnia for 1899 defines it as
follows:
"Pepsinum (Pepsin); A proteolytic
ferment or engine obtained from the
glandular layer OF fresh stomachs from
healty pigs, and capable of digesting
not less than 5000 times its own
weight Of fresh coagulated and disin'
tegrated egg albumen. A fine white,
on yellowish, transparent or trans
lucent grains or scales, free from any
offensive odor, and having mildly
acidulous or slightly saline taste, usu
ally followed by a suggestion of bit
terness. II slowly attracts moisture
when exposed to the air. "
The whole process of making pep
sin, many steps OF which are secret,
} consists in the isolation of the fer
ment to rs great degree as possible,
there being no way of getting it en-
tirely separate from the cell walls o
the stomach.
From the stomachs of calves come:
the extract of rennct which is ais,
made at the laboratory and largel.
used in cheese-making. The process
of manufacture is simple. The stom
achs are chopped up in sausage ma
chine into fine bits and macerated il
a solution of salt and water. 1t i