An experimental investigation of the physiological action of saline cathartics / by Matthew Hay.

  • Hay Matthew.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An experimental investigation of the physiological action of saline cathartics / by Matthew Hay. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    17/218 (page 9)
    extremities, he completely separated from the remainder of the intestine, keeping, however, its mesentery intact. The continuity of the ali- mentary canal he restored by carefully joining with sutures the cut ends of the intestine. The isolated loop was then carefully closed by sutures at its one extremity, which was replaced within the abdomen, while the other extremity, kept patent, was sewn to the margins of the ventral wound. In those dogs, in which the operation succeeded, Thiry thus contrived to have a portion of the intestine free from con- tact with the aliment, and communicating with the outer air by an abdominal fistula, accordingly ready of access and easy of observation. No experiment was made until at least fourteen days afterwards, which time was required for the healing of the wounds. Thiry's main object was to examine the nature of the succus entericus^ which he hoped to have obtained abundantly by this method. In this he was disappointed ; for the strongest mechanical irritation of the mucous membrane of the isolated loop did not yield him more than 4 grms. of secretion per hour from a loop 15 centimetres long. The injection of a strong solution of sulphate of magnesia equally failed to excite secretion. Thiry believed, from the latter experiment, to have furnished proof of Aubert's theory, that the salt does not stimulate the intestinal secretion, but acts by increasing the peristalsis. There is, however, this serious objection to Thiry's method, that functional disuse of the fistulous loop for fourteen days or longer with the concomitant severe disturbance produced by the operation, in aU probability, seriously impaired the secretory activity of the Lieber- kiihnian follicles. Even the few grammes of fluid obtained by mechanical irritation possess, according to Hoppe-Seyler,! exactly the characters of serum, and are, therefore, an inflammatory exudation, and not a true secretion. SchifF,^ Leube,^ Quincke,* Paschutin,^ and Radziejewski have repeated these experiments, and in every instance with a similar result. The last of these observers also administered a purgative dose of the salt per os, and collected the fluid which dropped from the fistula during the succeeding twelve hours. He found that, although free purgation had meanwhile occurred, there was no increase in the secretion from the isolated loop. If Thiry's method w^ere trust- worthy, Eadziejewski's experiment would be opposed to the theory of Headland.'^ Radziejewski conducted his investigation in the laboratories of Kiihne and of Du Bois-Reymond, to the former of whom and Rosen- thal he specially acknowledges his indebtedness for suggestions and assistance. As a result of his labours he has furnished us with the most comprehensive contribution that has as yet been made to this 1 Hoppe-Seyler, op. cit. S. 275, u. 360. 2 Scbiff, Nuove Hcherche sicl potere digerente, <£;c. Morgagni, July 1867, p. 5. 3 Leube, Jahresb. d. ges. Med. 1868, S, 97. ^ Quincke, ArcMv. f. Anatom. u. Physiolog. 1868, S. 150. ^ Paschutin, Heichert u. Die Bois-Reymond's Archiv. 1871, S. 305. ^ Kadziejewski, op. cit. S. 49. Headland, supra, p. 246.