Studies in Gastric Secretion

The question as to whether the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the freshly secreted gastric juice is constant or not continues to evoke much debate.So extensive have been the contributions already made to this field of endeavor that the value of any new efforts directed toward securing data conclusive with respect to this problem is obvious.Furthermore, it might be expected that a settlement of this question would in itself constitute an important contribution to our knowledge of the mechanism of formation of the gastric hydrochloric acid.For these reasons the experiments reported in this paper were planned and carried out. HISTORICALIt is unnecessary to review here the extensive literature bearing on the question.In view of the pronouncedly diverse opinions that have been expressed concerning this problem, however, and in order to orient the reader quickly, it seems worthwhile to present a brief resume of the kind of evidence that has been cited for and against the idea that the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the freshly elaborated gastric juice is constant.