Rabinovitch [1928] and McSwiney and Robson [1929b], using tisues taken from the oesophagus and stomach of the cat. These observers found that stimulation of the vagus nerve with break induction shocks or a tetanic current caused contraction. The effect was abolished by atropine. In further experiments [1929a, 1931] they showed that on stimulation of the sympathetic nerves a contraction or relaxation was obtained. The effect varied with the frequency and strength of the stimulus. Ergotoxine abolished the motor effect.Bottazzi [1902] found that excitation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve supply to the spiral intestine of elasmobranch fishes would produce contractions. Excitation of the vagus or sympathetic nerves did not stimulate the rectum and colon, though excitation of the 45th and 48th segments of the spinal cord did stimulate these parts, which effect he thought took place through a sympathetic outflow from this region of the cord.Babkin and MacKay-Sawyer [personal communication, 1931] found that by stimulating the cceliac axis, contraction of the duodenum was sometimes produced, and that stimulation of the superior mesenteric I This work was carried out in the laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Plymouth, England.

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The experiments showed that, within limits, the higher the temperature, the greater is the rate of digestion. The results were interpreted according to the Arrhenius formula. Thus, when the log. of the rate is plotted against [Formula: see text], two intersecting straight lines are obtained, having "μ's" of 21,000 and 7,000 respectively.

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