This book is the fourth edition of "The Mechanics of the Digestive Tract." The first edition appeared in 1922, and subsequent editions were published in 1928 and 1940. The present edition is considerably enlarged and gives additional information as to the effects of vagotomy in man. Also included are additional abstracts of 400 articles and books, increasing the bibliography to about 2,800 titles.
As in the previous editions, the author records his personal observations and deductions on the physiologic activity of the gastrointestinal tract. His ideas of intestinal rhythm are provocative. He explains such phenomena as hunger contractions, ulcer pains, flatulence, reverse peristalsis, heartburn, belching and vomiting on a gradient theory. He believes in a polarization of the bowel, a metabolic gradient and other related gradients of the bowel. It is stated that the discussions are largely theoretic, particularly when applied toward the explanation of gastrointestinal symptoms.
Many physiologists and