THE SELECTIVE ACTION OF HISTAMINE AND THE EFFECT OF PROLONGED VAGAL STIMULATION ON THE CELLS OF GASTRIC GLANDS IN THE DOG

¹ The Department of Histology and Embryology, and the Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

1. A satisfactory method has been developed for preserving and staining the pepsinogen granules in the gastric mucosa of the dog. This technique, in conjunction with suitable physiological methods, has been applied to a study of the cells of gastric mucosa under various physiological conditions.

2. On histological examination of the gastric mucosa of dogs, after repeated subcutaneous administrations of histamine during several hours, there appeared to be no diminution in the amount of pepsinogen granules in the peptic (chief) cells.

3. The gastric juice produced by histamine was copious and of high acidity, but was extremely low in peptic power. A few hours after the administrations of histamine were begun pepsin became practically absent from the secretion.

4. Histological examination of the gastric mucosa revealed that a maximum discharge of pepsinogen granules from the peptic cells had occurred after prolonged rhythmic stimulation of the vagi in the neck by means of a strong induction current.

5. The increase of pepsin in the gastric juice, following vagal stimulation, seems to have coincided with the discharging of the pepsinogen granules from the peptic cells.

6. Vagal stimulation, when applied immediately after a period of administration of histamine, soon activated the previously inactive peptic cells. This activation was manifested by the rise in the peptic power of the juice and by the coincident discharging of the pepsinogen granules.

7. Histamine does not stimulate the peptic cells to discharge their pepsinogen granules.

We wish to express our appreciation of the interest which Dr. B. P. Babkin has at all times shown during our work on this problem.