SYMPOSIUM ON INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE INTESTINE. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF DIARRHEA.

Derangement of small and large intestinal motility, secretion, absorption and storage function may result in "large stool diarrhea" or "small stool diarrhea". Emotional stresses and the ingestion of drugs may change bowel functions already altered by disease. Use of intraluminal intestinal balloons and catheters has contributed to our knowledge of bowel physiology in the past two decades. Newer tests of small bowel function useful clinically are reviewed, including serum carotene determination, d-xylose absorption, the Schilling test, disaccharide tolerance, and peroral small bowel mucosal biopsy.