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PEPSIN

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Originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 130 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PEPSIN , an See also:

enzyme or ferment obtained by drying the mucous lining of the fresh and healthy See also:stomach of a See also:pig, See also:sheep or See also:calf. As used in See also:medicine it consists of a See also:light yellow-See also:brown or See also:white See also:powder or of See also:pale yellow translucent grains or scales. It is only slightly soluble in See also:water and See also:alcohol. Pepsin is used to help gastric digestion in old See also:people and in those in whom there is a deficient secretion of the gastric juice. It is useful in chronic catarrhal conditions of the stomach, the See also:dyspepsia of alcoholism, and in gastric See also:ulcer and See also:cancer of the stomach. Pepsin digests the albumens but is useless in the digestion of fats or carbohydrates. It may also be used to predigest albuminous foods. The following is a method of peptonizing See also:beef. Take } lb of minced raw lean beef, 1 See also:pint of water containing o•2 % of hydrochloric See also:acid, See also:place in a See also:jar with 3o grs. of pepsin, set in a warm place at t to° F. for 3 See also:hours, stirring occasionally. Then quickly See also:boil it. It is usually unnecessary to See also:strain it, as the See also:meat is reduced to a See also:fine almost impalpable powder which is readily assimilated. Many varieties of proprietary peptonizing tablets are on the See also:market and are convenient for the preparation of peptonized See also:milk.

The following is a method of preparing it. Take a clean See also:

glass quart See also:bottle, pour in a pint of perfectly fresh See also:cold milk, then add a teacupful of cold water in which a peptonizing tablet has been dissolved. Submerge the bottle in a can of water at See also:ioo° F. for from 5 to to minutes, take out the bottle and place on See also:ice to prevent the further See also:action of the pepsin. If no ice is convenient bring the milk to a boil for the same purpose. If the action of the pepsin be continued for a much longer See also:period the milk becomes See also:bitter to the See also:taste from the development of excess of peptones. Predigested foods should not be used over a See also:long period or the See also:digestive functions of the stomach may See also:atrophy from disuse. Pancreatic See also:solution, derived from the See also:pancreas of a pig digested in alcohol, has the See also:power of converting See also:starch into See also:sugar, and albumen and See also:fibrin into peptones. It only acts in an alkaline See also:medium and at a temperature under 140° F. If used to peptonize milk See also:sodium bicarbonate should be added. Many commercial preparations are on the market. Trypsin, the See also:principal ferment of the pancreas, also changes proteids into peptones.

End of Article: PEPSIN

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