posing  food  has  been  evacuated,  the  inner  surface  of  the  viscus
may  still  continue  to  be  irritated  by  the  presence  of  fermenting
mucus,  the  expulsion  of  which  is  a  matter  of  great  difl&culty
owing  to  its  thick  and  tenacious  character.  Continental
writers  consequently  advise  that  the  stomach  should  be  washed
out  with  warm  water  containing  a  small  quantity  of  bicarbonate
of  sodium  whenever  the  emesis  recurs  at  short  intervals  and
the  ejecta  consist  of  mucus.  Lavage  is  a  most  excellent  remedy
and  will  usually  subdue  the  nausea  and  retching  more  quickly
than  any  other  form  of  treatment;  but  unfortunately  many
people  object  most  strenuously  to  the  passage  of  the  tube  and
will  only  submit  to  its  use  when  milder  measures  have  failed
to  effect  a  cure.
The  stomach  may  be  cleansed  by  the  propulsion  of  its
contents  into  the  intestine  as  well  as  by  their  elimination
through  the  mouth,  and  since  the  time  of  Hippocrates  brisk
purgation  has  always  been  regarded  as  indispensable  to  the
cure  of  acute  gastritis.
