RT Journal
A1 Grossman MI
T1 EFfects of emotions on gastrointestinal physiology
JF Journal of the American Medical Association
JO Journal of the American Medical Association
YR 1949
FD July 23
VO 140
IS 12
SP 1047
OP 1047
DO 10.1001/jama.1949.02900470051019
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1949.02900470051019
AB To the Editor:— 
    The writing of this letter is prompted by the editorial entitled "A Female Alexis St. Martin" which appeared in the June 11 issue of The Journal. There are errors of fact and errors of logic in this editorial.The statement is made, "... in all men previously studied, beginning with Alexis St. Martin, resentment, anger and similar emotions were nearly always followed by hyperemia, hypermotility and hypersecretion of the gastric mucosa." Quite to the contrary, Beaumont records only inhibition of gastric motor and acid secretory activity accompanying emotional storms in Alexis St. Martin.Actually, aside from the writings of Wolf and Wolff there are only a few incidental or poorly documented references to the occurrence of hyperactivity of the stomach at times of emotional stress. In contrast with the abundant evidence showing depression of gastric movements and secretion during affective states, the existence of the phenomenon of heightened