In conscious rats provided with indwelling pancreatic and biliary catheters, the postoperative recovery period is investigated. 2. Immediately after operation, serum amylase and lipase concentrations are highly elevated, declining afterwards rapidly and normalizing within 4 days. 3. Food intake, protein secretion and flow rate of the pancreatic juice show an increasing pattern during the first 4-5 days after operation. 4. The amount of secreted protein is a logarithmic function of the amount of food ingested. 5. The spectrum of secreted enzymes shows typical changes after operation, the total sum of relative enzyme fractions remaining constant. 6. The recovery period of rats provided with a pancreatic fistula -- as described previously -- lasts 4-5 days.
