It is well known that the action potentials of the gastrointestinal smooth muscles consist of two components; the spike and slow waves, and the spike waves usually superimpose on the slow waves.
Our studies were made of recording the E. M. G. from the gastrointestinal smooth muscles in dog, cat and guinea-pig, with suction electrode method and DC amplifier.
Significant differences of myographic patterns at various portions of the gastrointestinal tract were clearly demonstrated with configuration, amplitude and frequency of the slow waves, but not of the spike waves. Also the slow waves were extremely important in clarifying the response of the smooth muscles to various pathophysiologic stimuli such as local anesthesia, general hypothermia, denervation and reimplantation.

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During the experiments on the motor center of the stomach in the medulla and pons, the different types of the emetic action were observed in the dog. The monopolar tungsten wire (diameter 25 microns) was used for the stimulating electrode. The stimulated areas were determined by the histolo-gical examination.
1. The retching was followed by the change of the systemic blood pressure (rise or fall) and the increase or decrease of the movements of the stomach and distal colon, but the correlation between the retching and the other autonomic reactions was not determined.
2. The retching was induced in the vagotomized dog and in the spinal dog which was transected between the cervical and the thoracic region.
3. The retching was induced both in the anesthetized dog and non-anesthetized dog.
4. Fourty-five retching points were obtained in the medulla oblongata. They were found in the Nucl. dorsolateralis n. vagi, Nucl. dorsomedialis n. vagi, Nucl. tractus solitarii medialis, -inferior, -lateralis, Tractus solitarius, Formatia reticularis, Fibrae arcuatae internae and Nucl. intercalatus.
5. Only three retching points were obtained in the pons. They were found in the Nucl. vestibularislateralis, Tractus rubrospinalis and Fibrae n. vagi.

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Bioassay for the cholekinetics was established with the domestic pigs, separating into the effects of the contraction of the gallbladder and of the rela xation of the sphincter of Oddi.
The contraction of the gallbladder was estimated with Magnus method. The potency of the relaxation of the sphincter of Oddi was estimated by the relaxation of the common bile-duct and by the number of drops through the sphincter before and after the administration of drug.
According to this method of assay described above, it was demonstrated that MgSO₄, pilocarpine, peptone, papaverine and desoxycholate gave rise to the relaxation of the sphincter of Oddi, but atropine had almost no response.

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Canine stomach were transected consecutively starting at upper one-third, midline, lower one-third and lower one-fourth of the stomach and the changes in peristalsis in the lower segment of the stomach was studied electromyographically. In another experiment, stomachs were pre pared to consists of four segments by transecting and anastomosing at vari ous levels and electromyogram was taken from upper and lower middle seg ments of the stomach.
The results are summarized as follows:
1) The lower the transection line was made, the longer was the discharge interval between each peristalsis in the segment distal to the anastomosis.
2) Antiperistalsis was elicited oftener in the lower segment when the transection was made below the midline.
3) Discharge intervals recorded from the lower middle segment of the stomach were generally longer than the ones recorded from the upper middle segment.
4) Antiperistalsis was also observed in the upper and lower segments of the stomach and the frequency of antiperisalsis was found higher in the upper middle segment. The frequency of antiperistalsis was much higher in case the middle two segments were made closer to the pylorus.
5) Out of the results mentioned above, it is estimated that each portion of the stomach has its own rhythm of peristaltic frequency and more tendency of antiperistaltic discharges was noted in the portion close to the pylorus.

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Response of the human gastrointestinal tract for the electric stimulation which was given intramurally, intraluminally or percutaneously using square waves of 10, 100 or 1, 000 c/s was studied by electromyography and cinefluorography.
The following results were obtained.
1. The stimuli of 5 volts for 5 seconds given intramurally caused sufficient local excitation, though the excitation did not extend to the entire intestinal tract.
2. The stimulated part of the intestine showed a spastic state during the stimulation, and an atonic state followed it and continued for 5 to 10 minutes under cinefluorography.
3. The intraluminal stimulation activated the movement of the entire gastrointestinal tract and the atonic state of the stimulated part lasted for one minute.
4. The condition of the effective percutaneous stimulation required at least 20 volts and more than 15 times in frequency for sufficient excitation.
5. Maximum excitation was observed about 10 minutes after the stimulation and it was obtained more effectively under the condition of 10 to 100 c/s than 1, 000 c/s.
6. The intraluminal stimulation of 100 c/s, 20 volts and 10 seconds was performed on the laparotomized patients. From this experiment, it was revealed that this procedure was effective in the treatment of the postoperative intestinal paralysis.

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Hot-spring bath, dry heat bath, instilation of hot-spring, plain 45 rabwater and 5% saline solution into the duodenum were tried in the total of bits and the effect of these preparations on the motility of small and large intestines were studied by the use of electromyography. The hotsprings used in the present study were of Narugo Branch Hospital and of Narugo National Hospital.
The results obtained are summarized as follows:
1) In the group of rabbits with hot-spring bath preparation, both the duration of each spike-bursts and the interval between the adjoining two sets of spike-bursts prolonged as long as 30 minutes after bathing.
On the other hand, dry heat bath (41°C) resulted in the reduction of both duration and interval of the spike-bursts during and immediately after the dry heat bath and gradually they tended to return to the control levels in 10 minutes. In these experiments, electromyograms taken from the small and large intestines were almost the same in findings.
It is concluded that the both hot-spring bath and dry heat bath lead to the excitement of intestinal motor function and the former has the stronger effect than the latter. The dry heat bath elicites an increase in the motor function of the intestines during and immediately after the dry heat bath, while the hot-spring bath causes an increase in the intestinal motility lasting approximately 30 minutes. These findings may have some relationship to the chill or warm sensation after bathing.
2) Instilation of the hot-spring, either of Narugo Branch Hospital or of Narugo National Hospital, plain water and five per cent saline solution at the temperature of between 40°-41°C into the duodenum failed to cause any noticeable changes of electromyographic findings such as of duration or interval of the spike-bursts. Therefore, it was learned that the instilation of these four kinds of solution had little effect on the motor function of the duodenum.
Out of these findings, it is estimated that the hot-spring bath which increases the motor function of the intestines has a considerable significance in its clinical application. Oral administration of the hot-spring, however, seems to have little effect on the motor function of the duodenum.

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