FATE OF BILIRUBIN IN THE SMALL INTESTINE

Since there was no loss of bilirubin from the jejunal loop, and no loss of bilirubin when pigment was incubated with juice from the loop segment, or juice from the entire small intestine, it may be concluded that the intestinal juice per se has no effect in converting bilirubin to urobilin in a 2 hour period, and that in the jejunal loop there was no absorption of pigment or no conversion to urobilin. The experiments showing loss of pigment in the entire intestinal tract suggest that in some place other than the jejunal portion of the intestine the combined activity of intestinal contents and intestinal cells does affect the bilirubin in the intestine. Whether the loss of bile pigment under such circumstances is due entirely to conversion, or to conversion and absorption, or to absorption of bilirubin as such, remains to be answered by subsequent investigations.