Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-04-09
"DrGEsT1oN WATTS ON APPETITE

Three centuries ago Shakespeare
wrote Digestion waits on appetite,
good health on both" Science has re-
Gently strikingly demonstrated that
Shakespeare was eminently correct IN
his statement. Inasmuch as Shakes
peare is not supposed to have been
scientist his remarkable success in
striking off a volume in eight words
must be attributed to a remarkable in
tuition into the process of nature, or
be accepted as further confirmation
that Bacon was really the author of
the plays and three hundred years
ahead of science.
Professor Pawlow, a noted Russian
savant, has demonstrated that all that
is necessary to set the gastric juices to
flowing into the tomach is to think of
something that is pleasing to the pal
ate and for which the desire to eat
exists. The old idea that the mere in
flowing into the stomach is to think Of
thing that would irritate it's lining
would set the juices into action he has
shown to be false. Appetite must first
exist before digestion begins its pecul-
lar process. Even easily digested foods,
like eggs and bread, he found lay in
the stomach untouched for hours, with
no gastric juices coming to their re-
lief, when the desire for them did not
exist, when appetite had not preceded
their introduction into the stomach
One of his most interesting expert
ments along this line is told in a re-
cent article in McClures, as follows:
Professor Pawlow discovered that it
was possible to battle or saturate the
stomach with digestive juice without
giving it any food at all. He perform
ed the interesting operation known as
esophagotomy; that is, he divided the
esophagus-the tube that connects the
mouth with the stomach, and serves as
the passageway for food--so that, in
stead of leading to the stomach, it
lead to an artificial opening in the an
imal's throat. His purpose in doing
this was to prevent the food naturally
swallowed by the dog from getting to
the stomach; after slipping into the
gullet, it would drop through this
opening, unnoticed by the dog, into the
pan from which it was eating.
Professor Pawlow now let his ami
NAL go hungry long enough to acquire
healthy appetite. In spite of the
operations that had been performed
upon his stomach and esophagus, the
dog was entirely normal, as was evil
denced by the lia@nS interest that he
displayed in th,TJf'5s'b aration of his
meal. The food selected was of the
daintiest k.nd-sausage, raw meat, and
other morse1s especially intended to
stimulate appetite 1t was prepared
and chopped ostentatiously in full
view of the dog; some of it was passed
under his nos5rils. The animal show
ed his interest by jumping about in the
cage, barking, yelping, and licking his
chOps-the saliva that oyerfiowed his
lips Detraying his epicurean anticipa-
ton of the approaching feast. When
the pan was finally placed before him,
the dog fell Upon it voraciously, eating
long and constantly. Every mouthful,
however, after being swallowed fell
through the artificial outlet of the
esophagus into the same pan-over
and over again.
The important fact is this: Although
not mOrsel reached the stomach, the
gastric juice poured into that organ in
enormous quantities. Professor Paw
low ingeniously arranged tubes for
the collection of the saliva and the
NJ A,1tl oh fol aa oh
digest perfectly several large meals.
He found that other substances, pass
ing through the mouths and gullet, but
not reaching the stomach, had precise
ly the same effect. He even trained
the animal to swallow pebbles and
these, falling out of the opening, like
wise started the gastric juice. In fact,
# the animal were sufficiently hungry,
anything placed in it's mouth accom-
plished the same results. The stomach
would fill with liquid at the mere sight
of food, or at a whiff of the hands Of
the person who brought it. Sometimes,
if this attendant simply passed
through the room, the same influx
took place.
In other words, the process of d ges-
ton furnishes a beautiful illustration
of the influence of mind upon matter
The inspiring stimulus is not mechan-
ical, but psychic The preliminary es-
sential to TIE orderly assimilation Of
food is the keen desire for it. '"The
passionate longing for food, and this
alone" says Pawlow, has called forth,
under our eyes, a most interesting ac-
tivity of the gastric glands. We
are therefore justified in saying that
the appetite is tie first and highest
agent Of the secretory nerves of the
stomach. A good appetite is
equivalent to vigorous secretion OF
the gastric juice.