Apepsia
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Apepsia is a term that formerly indicated a condition where food is not digested in the stomach, regardless of cause. The article argues that this term should be replaced with more specific diagnostic terms like 'achylia' as medical research has advanced.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
APEPSIA (from the Greek a-, negative particle, and pepsis-digestion), a term used by older authors (Hippocrates, Celsus, Galen, etc.) to describe a condition of the stomach in which food is not digested in it, regardless of the cause. With the introduction of the concept of 'achylia' (Einhorn, 1892), Strauss proposed to retain the word apepsia as a synonym for achylia, and in this sense the word A. is still used in many textbooks and manuals. This is hardly advisable, since improved research techniques make it possible to characterize disturbances in stomach function in greater detail, and therefore a concept with such an imprecise meaning as A. should go out of use.
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“Apepsia.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/apepsia/