Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-10-23
THE STOMACH AT WORK.
X Rays shaw Contrs.ea Mind n
Essential TO t.oo.2 n.uexfia.

Rays show Contrsted Mind II
Essential 10 Good Digestion.
Until within very recent years any
exact scientific knowledge of the ac-
tuai workings of the stomach had been
Impossible because there was no way
in which n normal stomach could be
visiIly observed while digestIng com.
Portable dinner The discovery Of the
X ray. however. has been utilized dur.
Ing the past few years by DR.. w. Il.
Cannon of the Harvard Medical school
in a study of digestive processes that
presents an Interesting chapter ia mod
ern scientific investigation.
The operations OF cats digestive
organs. so far as they are yet known,
are very much like Il mans. and, al
though the cats stomach is not imper-
vious to the y ray. if the cat bad swal-
lowed small metal button the Y ray.
as everybody now knows, would pro-
duce shadowgraph of that button.
This fact Is tue basis OF the Harvard
scientists remarkable series Of exper-
iments. The cat was given substan-
tial meal OF bread softened with milk
and mixed with subnitrate of bismuth
"a harmless, nonirritating powder
which presents the necessary condition
or being impervious to the X ray-and
placed In position to be observed, ar
ranged especially with a view to the
animals comfort during the ensuing
period OF digestion.
About five minutes after the meal OF
bread, milk and bismuth the outline OF
the cats stomach, as represented by
Its contents, appeared on the screen Of
the y ray apparatus. the screen being
above and the mechanism for generat-
Ing the y ray being beneath the sup
port on which the cat rested. For
few minutes this shadow remains
quiet, but from this time on until
bread and subnitrate of blsmuth have
left the stomach the inner mechan-
ism works uader ordinary conditions
with clocklike regularity. and the out
line OF the shadow is in constant mo-
ton, visibly undulating i'm monotonous
response to a series OF waves passing
over Its surface and showing plainly
the method by which the stomach
churns and digests its contents. These
waves, starting near the center Of the
stomach and moving toward the iutes-
tines, recur at ten second intervals.
When one wave is just beginning sew
eral others are visible running on
ahead Of it. and during a single period
OF digestion their number reaches the
amazing total OF about 2,60O succeed
ing waves.
One of the interesting facts visibly
illustrated by this curious shadow pam
tomime is the close relation between
the condition of the mind and that of
the stomach. When the cat became
angry at any cause, for example. the
waves that had been following each
other regularly over the stomach ceased
moving, and digestion was evidently
entirely suspended. On one occasion
when the fluctuations were coursing
regularly over the stomach the animal
suddenly changed from n condition of
peaceful sleepiness and began to
breathe quickly and endeavor to get
loose from her fastenings. AS soon as
this Change took place the fluctuations
OF the stomach stopped. and its out
line presented smooth, rounded an.
pearnnce. The operator continued his
observations, stroking the cat rcassur-
ingiy, and i'm few moments pussy
was again purring contentedly and the
stomach had resumed Its monotonously
regular motion. In short, any expert
ence OF strong feeling on the part OF
the animniis immediately reflected by
the action OF the stomach, n scientific
observation that should lead thought
fui humans 10 get mad or worry IL
they must get mad or worry before
meals, but never Immediately after
ward.
The stomach itself. or. rather. the
shadow OF It's contents MS thrown ON
the screen OF the y rny apparatus nat
urnily becomes less and less visible as
digestion progresses, aud at q O'clock
the process which began Mt III is prac-
ucally finished, and the shadow is
hardly more than spot OF gray on
white background t-