Normal Standards of Gastric Function

The establishment of normal standards of gastric function is a prerequisite to the recognition of abnormal conditions. Such standards have heretofore been inadequate, with the result that studies of stomach secretion have fallen into disfavor in the clinic. As we pointed out in a previous paper (1), a test of function must be based on certain general criteria: (1) the test must be applied under standard conditions, (2) it must impose a load on the function under considera- tion, (3) it must be capable of identical repetition and (4) it must actually yield information which experience shows to be useful.