Jaundice: its pathology and treatment : with the application of physiological chemistry to the detection and treatment of diseases of the liver and pancreas. / By George Harley.

  • Harley, George, 1829-1896.
Date:
MDCCCLXIII. [1863]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Jaundice: its pathology and treatment : with the application of physiological chemistry to the detection and treatment of diseases of the liver and pancreas. / By George Harley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    quantity of acid gastric juice, and an alkali taken then, only neutralizes the acid. On the other hand, when an alkaline substance is introduced into an empty stomach, it acts according to the general law of exciting an acid secretion; consequently, an immediate flow of gastric juice takes place. And I believe it is the excess of this acid gastric juice, which, on reaching the duodenum, stimulates the secretion, and excites the flow from the gall- bladder of the alkaline bile, just as the mineral acids do under similar circumstances. One re- mark further is, however, necessary. The quan- tity of alkali employed for the purpose of stimu- lating the secretion, or of exciting the flow of the already secreted bile must be small, for if much be used, the greater part of the gastric juice will be rendered useless, in consequence of its being neutralized as fast as it is secreted. It may be laid down as a general rule, that when we de- sire to increase the flow of bile by means of a mineral acid, the acid must be given after food. When, on the other hand, an alkali is selected for that purpose, the alkali must be administered before food. For obvious reasons, both alkalies and acids are counter-indicated in cases of jaundice result- ing from active congestion of the liver; and it is equally evident that they can be of no direct