Abstract
Considerable work has been done on gastric function, but this has been mainly concerned with the motor activity of the stomach. Comparatively little has been done on the chemical activity, that is, the method of secretion, the nature of the secretory stimulus, and the variations of the reactions of the gastric contents. We have lacked exact methods for investigating these functions. In the past, the test meals, of many kinds, were used. Inasmuch as results with any one type of test meal vary greatly among individuals who are apparently normal, and also vary so much among patients afflicted with a given type of gastric disorder, the uselessness of this mode of examination is evident. A more exact method has been described by Bloomfield and Keefer, 1 who stimulated gastric acidity with 50 cc. of 7% alcohol to which a small amount of phenolphthalein had previously been added. Here, again, is a method in which an attempt is made to gauge the chemical activity by the amount of free HCl secreted. We know that there are many individuals, free from any gastric symptoms, in whom the HC1 content of the stomach varies from a hypochlorhydria to an achlorhydria; on the other hand, most individuals with hyperchlorhydria give symptoms which are referrable to this condition. It seemed to us, then, that conditions such as these in the stomach, were not due to secretory defects alone, but to a combination of secretory and motor activity. The question then arose, how to measure these, simply and accurately.
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