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Biomechanical theory was applied to devise a dynamic method for describing gallbladder tone in an in situ baboon model. Under pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal) anesthesia, cyclical infusion of bile into and withdrawal of bile from the gallbladder with continuous pressure monitoring allow instantaneous measurement of the pressure-volume ratio and thus of mean gallbladder compliance. This paper describes the method and details the manner of data analysis. Pharmacologic and hormonal agents with known gallbladder effects are used in order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the method. Pilocarpine, histamine, and cholecystokinin cause contraction of the primate gallbladder smooth muscle; this contraction is reflected in decreased compliance by continuous monitoring. Atropine administration results in increased ability to accommodate volume infusions; this effect has not been demonstrated by static monitoring in previous experiments. This new method allows continuous monitoring of compliance and offers both simplicity and sensitivity when compared with previous methods.