THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TOTAL, ACID, AND NEUTRAL CHLORIDES OF GASTRIC JUICE

Abstract

The relationships between the various chloride fractions of gastric juice were investigated by a statistical analysis of data obtained from 383 samples of gastric juice carefully collected from dogs with vagotomized pouches of the entire stomach. The continuous secretion of gastric juice at various rates was maintained by subcutan. injs. of histamine at 10-min. intervals. As the secretion rate increases the outputs of total, acid, and neutral chlorides increase in linear fashion but at different rates; the conc. of total and acid chlorides increases in hyperbolic fashion to maximal values of 166 and 154 in eq./l. respectively; and the conc. of neutral chloride decreases in hyperbolic fashion to a minimal value of 12 m. eq./l. The acidity of gastric juice varies directly with the total chloride and inversely with the neutral chloride conc. These findings are incompatible with previous theoretical explanations for the variations in the composition of gastric juice.