Parietal (contact) digestion

Summary

The evidence presented shows that in higher animals cavity digestion is not the only or even the principal mechanism of breakdown and assimilation of food, but that along with it there is a system of hitherto unknown processes which we here refer to as parietal or contact digestion. The latter occurs under the influence of enzymes adsorbed onto the surface of the muscosa which is concerned in the hydrolysis and absorption of food; a number of specific features of this process are described.