114 



TOPOGRAPHICAL ANATOMY OF THE 



or saccus ccecus. It is remarkable that, in the comparatively empty 

 stomach, the muscular tissue of the blind sac is strongly contracted, and 

 that the sac itself appears to contain little or nothing but gas. It is 

 important to note that the oesophagus joins the stomach abruptly and 

 very obliquely, and that the cardia is situated at a considerable distance 

 (20-25 cm.) from the left extremity of the organ. The deeply hollowed 

 lesser curvature (curvatura minor) extends from the cardia to the 

 pyloric region or right extremity of the stomach. Roughly midway 

 between the cardia and the pylorus, there is a sharp fold of the wall 

 intruded into the interior. This, it will be seen later, coincides in 



Saccus csecus 



Line of reflection 

 of peritoneum. ' 



Duodenum 



CEsopliagus 



Greater curvature. 



Fig. 5.3. — Cranial surface of the stomach. 



position with a sharp line of division between the two regions of the 

 mucous lining of the organ. 



The much more extensive greater curvature (curvatura major) is 

 convex. Followed from the cardia, it first passes in a dorsal direction, 

 then curves to the left over the saccus ctecus, proceeds in a ventral 

 direction, bends to the right across the median plane, and finally ascends 

 to the pylorus. As already stated, not infrequently the even line of the 

 curvature is interrupted by a shallow constriction. That portion of the 

 stomach which is immediately to the right of and ventral to the con- 

 striction corresponds to the fundus (fundus veutriculi) of the stomach of 

 man and the dog. For clinical reasons it is important to note that the 

 greater curvature is usually in contact with tiie dorsal diaphragmatic 



