The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-09

important part in the daily routine of di-
gestion was known to science long before
the use of the X-ray revealed them actual
ly in motion. What had not been either
known or theorized, however, was that
they extended over only about half Of the
stomach, thus dividing that useful piece of
animal mechanism into two distinct di-
visions, the one a reservoir for food and
the other a churning apparatus for digest
ing it. The food entering the stomach
pAsses first into this reservoir, roughly
speaking, the large half Of the organ into
which the aesophagus enters. and from
this reservoir it is fed slowly and systemat-
ically into that portion of the stomach
where the thousands of monotonously regu-
lar waves proceed to churn and digest it.
This involuntary muscular action slowly
and surely forces the food onward through
the pylorus-the keeper of the gate" as
the ancients long ago christened the little
v~alvular doorway that opens or closes the
lower end of what they might also have
called the house of digestion. Naturally
the actual process of digestion slowly emp
ties the cardiac, or reservoir part of the
stomach, the size of the pyloric part in
creasing slightly as the other grows small
Co. Liz LOOQ, as III III "a <A-Aoy
sh~adowgraph, moved into the intestines.
one might say, by occasional jumps past
the keeper Of the gate.
One of the interesting facts visibly illus
trated by this curious shadow pantomiine
is the close relation between the condition
Of the mind and that of the stomach. AS
has been noted already, male cats objected
to the experiment much more vigorously
than the females, in many cases get
ting so angry that digestion stopped entire
ly and another animal had to be substi-
tuted.
WHEN THE CAT GOT MAD.
When the cat got angry the waves that
had been following each other regularly
over the pyloric region ceased moving and
digestion was evidently suspended. On an
other occasion when the fluctuations We're
coursing regularly over the stomach of a
female cat she suddenly changed from a
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 it's outline presented
a smooth, rounded appearance. The opera
tor continued his observations. stroking the
a hCoSSaAiiSiy IN III " &c" ~
Pussy was again purring contentedly and
the stomach had resumed it's monotonously
regular motion. In short, any experience
of strong feeling on the part of the animal
was Immediately reflected by the action of
the stomach-a scientific observation that
should lead Thoughtful humans to get mad
or worry, il they must get mad or worry,
before meals. but never Immediately after
wards.
How individual particles of food are hand
led by the stomach appeared also in the
X-ray shadowgraphs. In this case pellets
of food were prepared in which a large
amount of subnitrate of bismuth had been
mixed, the result being that these individ-
ual pellets cast a darker shadow on the
screen and could thus be seen moving to
and fro in the s~hadowgraph picture. These
harder morsels were moved forward and
by the regular motion of the
stomach, thus gradually approaching the
keeper of the gate and usually being sent
back to repeat the process several times
over before. they were allowed to enter upon
the next step of digestion. In short these
harder particles of ~food-and here again the
experiment has it's moral for average hui
mainly, the pellets being equivalent to food
not thoroughly masticated-were mechani-
cally kept under the influence of the gastric
juices and constant movement Of the stom-
ach until they had been thoroughly softened
and were usually the last particles Of food
to leave the stomach The stomach itself,
or rather the shadow Of its contents as
thrown on the screen of the X-ray appar-
arus, naturally becomes less and less visi-
BILE as digestion progresses. and at 6 o'clock
the process which began at IL is practically
finished and the shadow is hardly more
than a spot of gray on a white back
ground.