A Gradient of Irritability in the Small Intestine

Abstract

The APS Journal Legacy Content is the corpus of 100 years of historical scientific research from the American Physiological Society research journals. This package goes back to the first issue of each of the APS journals including the American Journal of Physiology, first published in 1898. The full text scanned images of the printed pages are easily searchable. Downloads quickly in PDF format.

Effect of Smooth Muscle Stimulating Substances on Different Segments of the Guinea Pig Ileum

“…Varying sensitivity of different ileal segments in the biological assay of s.m.s.s. is in accordance with the earlier findings of Alvarez [1,2] and Alvarez and Hosoi [3] regarding the existence of a so-called 'intestinal gradient'.…”

Irritable bowel syndrome: how useful is the term and the ‘diagnosis’?

“…From an original paper by Alvarez in 1915, it is also clear that he considered both ‘irritating lesions also raise the local tone’ and a change in patterns of contractions that impact transit, ‘factors such as differences in rhythm and irritability — play in altering the gradient of forces through the tract’ [Alvarez, 1915: 389]. After joining the staff of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 1926, Alvarez continued to study the gradient of ‘irritability’ of small intestinal muscle, reflecting the frequency and amplitude of contractions [Alvarez and Hosoi, 1929]. Alvarez attributed the concept of irritability to altered contractions or motor activity.…”