The Gastric Mucosa. 



By 

 Robert K. S. Lim. 



(From the Department of Physiology, Edinburgh University.) 



With Plate 8 and 1 Text-figure. 



Introduction 



The gastric mucous membrane is described as being disposed 

 in three regions, known as the cardiac, fundic, and pyloric. 

 These regions, although distinguished from one another by 

 definite microscopic characters, yet merge gradually the one 

 into the other, so as to present no well-defined lines of demarca- 

 tion. The actual extent of each region varies in different 

 animals. It has not been sufficiently recognized, however, 

 that the cardiac and pyloric areas are very small, especially 

 in the carnivora. In the cat, the (microscopic) pyloric region 

 is a narrow zone, extending for not more than 35 mm. from 

 the junction of pylorus and duodenum ; it may not even 

 correspond in extent with the so-called pyloric antrum. In 

 view of this fact it is possible to doubt the exactness with 

 which pure pyloric pouches can be isolated either by the 

 Heidenhain (13) or Pavlov (21) technique. 



What is known regarding the functions of the different 

 regions of the stomach is not compatible with their differences 

 in structure. And current descriptions of the cells forming 

 the gastric glands are by no means uniform, much confusion 

 being due to the fact that the histological descriptions vary 

 according to the method of fixation and staining employed 

 and the species of animal investigated. 



The following description of the histology of the gastric 

 glands is divided into three parts. In Part I only the gastric 

 mucosa of the cat will be described, since the observations 



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