Note 56 — Chapter XLVII · INJURIES AND SURGICAL DISEASES OF THE STOMACH.
Reading edition
Sahli has suggested what he calls a desmoid test for free hydrochloric acid. A small amount of methylene blue is enclosed in a small gutta-percha bag, and this is tied by means of a small strand of raw catgut. This catgut will not be affected by pancreatic juices, and will only dissolve in the stomach in case there be free hydrochloric acid present. The fact of its solution and the liberation of the methylene blue is made evident by the peculiar color given to the urine in a short time. If, therefore, this appears within an hour or so after the material has been swallowed one maybe sure there is free hydrochloric acid present in the stomach. The test is not absolutely accurate, but will often serve as a fairly reliable one and a substitute for the more disagreeable and ponderous method of a test meal and lavage. In some respects it is perhaps even more reliable.