By  these  various  methods  the  adds  introduced  or  formed
within  the  system  being  continually  removed,  the  blood
has  always  an  alkaline  reaction.  So  long  as  the  discharge
of  add  passes  off,  and  is  distributed  in  a  natural  manner
with  the  excretions,  its  presence  on  the  mucous  surfaces  or
in  the  various  organs  is  unrecognised.  But  when  acid  is  in
excess,  the  result  of  incomplete  oxidation  of  the  elements  of
the  tissues  and  of  the  food,  op  the  result  of  the  deficient
elicttination  of  acid  formed  in  normal  or  abnormal  quantities,
it  may  be  elaborated  and  passed  off  by  various  organs.  Then
secondary  effects  due  to  acidity  present,  or  as  more  scientifi-


222  DT9FEP6IA4

cally  stated  by  Ralfe,^  *  a  physiological  check  occtnrring  to
the  elimination  of  matters  by  their  Datural  passages,  causes
an  outbreak  in  another  direction.'  Grastric  or  acid  dyspepsia
is  not  to  be  regarded,  then,  as  accidental  dyspepsia,  the  con-
sequence of  undigested  food,  but  as  the  result  of  a  continued
course  of  high  and  inoproper  liring,  which,  taken  for  some
time  with  seeming  impunity,  at  length  induces  (especially
in  a  tropical  climate)  that  condition  to  which  the  term
bilious  is  so  commonly  applied.  But  the  first  step  appears
to  be  hypersecretion  of  gastric  juice«  We  know  that  gastric
juice  is  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  secreted  when  a  stimulus  is
applied  to  the  stomach,  but  this  stimuliXs  need  not  be  food.
