Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 261, Issue 6 20-S24, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society
Measurement of gastric secretion as a student teaching exercise
S. C. Nicol, R. D. MacPherson and L. J. McLeod
Department of Physiology, University of Tasmania, Australia.
Teaching gastrointestinal physiology to preclinical medical students
presents problems in finding suitable practical exercises to demonstrate
the physiology of gastric acid secretion. In our course, students measure
their own gastric secretory activity by the use of nasogastric tubes.
Gastric secretion can be stimulated by insulin-induced hypoglycemia or by
pentagastrin, a synthetic gastrin analogue. The time course of the
secretory responses, i.e., volume, acid output, and pH, are followed by
collecting control and poststimulatory secretions into 15-min samples. The
effect of antiulcer drugs, such as cimetidine, can be easily studied in
such experiments. The results of these experiments are very reproducible,
allowing year-to-year comparisons of treatments. Examples of results of
various experimental protocols are shown. We believe this to be a useful
class exercise not only because of the excellent results it yields but
because of the experience and insights it produces.
