From the time of Spallanzani, who was among the first to demonstrate the digestive action of gastric juice, to the present day gastrologist, wide variations of opinion have been held relative to the secretory and motor powers of the stomach. The lack of agreement among students of gastric functions recalls the statement of Hunter: "Some Physiologists will have it that the stomach is a Mill;—others, that it is a fermenting Vat;—others, again, that it is a Stew-pan:—but in my view of the matter, it is neither a Mill, a fermenting Vat, nor a Stew-pan—but a Stomach, Gentlemen, a Stomach." The "fractional method" of gastric analysis, now so popular among certain clinicians, is based on the assumption that the gastric content is of a homogenous nature. The method also infers that the determination of the acidity of gastric samples removed at stated intervals, more or less, directly show the degree of