The glycogenolytic strength of blood serum from the pancreatico-duodenal vein and from the femoral artery,and of lymph from the thoracic duct,as affected by stimulation of the great splanchnic nerve

Abstract

The distribution of diastatic ferment (glycogenase?) in the animal body would lead one to conclude that its site of production is in the pancreas. Thus:

1. Extracts of this gland possess a glycogenolytic activity which is enormously greater than that of extracts of any other gland, or of blood serum.

2. Blood serum contains the next largest amount of glycogenase.¹

These considerations prompted us to see whether blood from the pancreatico-duodenal vein is stronger in glycogenase than blood from the femoral or carotid arteries. They were found to be the same. We have recently repeated the observations with the modification that some of the samples of blood were collected during stimulation of the great splanchnic nerve. In these experiments we have also determined the glycogenase in lymph, collected from the thoracic duct. The experiments were conducted in the usual manner 1 and in most cases controls with 0.5 per cent. soluble starch were run. These gave similar results to those in which glycogen was employed.