Hoppe reports that when bitters are given to sick dogs the quantity of gastric juice is increased, and the pepsin and HCl of the juice is likewise increased. No figures are presented, nor are sufficient accounts of the method used given, so as to enable one to evaluate his conclusions. Moorhead, working in the author's laboratory, produced cachexia in two dogs with Pavlov stomach pouch by repeated excessive hemorrhage, and studied the action of the bitters on the food consumption and the appetite secretion before and after inducing the chronic anemia. The dogs were bled 20 to 30 c.c. per kg. daily until they became permanently listless, weak, and depressed, lost weight gradually, and showed little interest in food or surroundings-in a word, typically cachectic. During the observation period the dogs showed little or no improvement.

Table VII Quantity Of Gastric Secretion In C.c., Cachectic Dogs (Pavlov Stomach)

Series

No. T.

Dog z

Avr. Mxm. Mnm.

Doc 2

Avr. Mxm. Mnm tion one hour. 1 tonks fa _

First hour after feeding.......

No tonics.......

Tonics in mouth .. Tonics in stomach

10 10 10

10 10 10

0.50 1.90 1.06

1 05 2.50 1.20

2.0 42 3i

3 9 5o 3-5

0.0

05 0.0

0.0 0.2 o. 2

1 15 1.14

1.14

IS© 315 1.80

50 2.1

2.2

5 9 7-7 25

0.0 o. 1 0.0

0.0 o. 1 o. I

Before the chronic anemia was induced the bitters had no influence on food consumption or on the quality and quantity of the appetite gastric juice. During the cachexia the bitters acti in the mouth appeared to increase slightly both the quantity food consumed, and the quantity and quality of the appet gastric juice (Table VII). The experiments are not numen enough to permit final conclusions, even for sick dogs. And it not clear whether the apparent action of the bitters is a direct c on the appetite mechanism, or in the nature of a condition refl The real value of bitter tonics as stimuli to appetite in disease still an open question, that must be answered by quantitative i methods on the sick.