THE ALIMENTARY CANAL 235 



cavity, mostly to the left of the middle line. Its cardiac end 

 is in contact by its dorsal surface with the dorsal, nearly hori- 

 zontal, portion of the diaphragm. On its ventral side the 

 cardiac end does not touch the diaphragm, so that a small part 

 of the oesophagus passes here for a short distance into the 

 abdominal cavity, to join the stomach. The communication 

 of oesophagus and stomach is by a simple conical increase in 



FIG. 97. STOMACH, VENTRAL VIEW. 



a. oesophagus; b, cardiac end of the stomach; c, lesser curvature; d, greater 

 curvature; e, fundus; f, pyloric valve; g, part of duodenum. 



size of the former. The pyloric end of the stomach extends 

 to the right of the middle line, becoming constantly smaller; 

 at its junction with the duodenum there is a constriction which 

 marks the position of the pyloric valve (/). This valve is 

 formed by a ring-like thickening of the circular muscle-fibres 

 of the alimentary canal, forming a sphincter muscle at the 

 junction of the stomach and duodenum and causing a projection 

 of the mucosa into the lumen of the canal. The ventral surface 

 of the stomach lies against the liver except when the stomach 

 is much distended with food, when the ventral surface comes 

 to lie against the ventral abdominal wall. 



The stomach is supported by the great omentum and the 

 gastrohepatic ligament. It is connected with the duodenum 

 by the gastroduodenal ligament ; with the spleen by the gas- 

 trolienal ligament. 



