166 PRACTICAL HISTOLOGY [XXI 



unstriated muscle fibres a little external to the glands ; 

 this is divided more or less distinctly into an outer 

 longitudinal and an inner circular layer. 



The mucous coat. Note in this the oxyntic 

 gastric glands with their openings and the ridges 

 between the openings. The bifurcation of some of the 

 glands will probably be made out. 



6. Observe under a high power, 



The columnar mucous cells, lining the mouths of 

 the glands and covering the free surface of the mucous 

 membrane between them ; they are long, slender 

 cells, becoming shorter in passing down the mouths of 

 the glands ; the upper third of the cell (containing j 

 mucin) is much more transparent than the remaining 

 portion; the nucleus lies at about the lower third. 

 (The stomach must be hardened very soon after death, 

 or these cells will be detached.) An oblique section of 

 the mouths of the glands will cut through two or more 

 of the columnar mucous cells on each side of the lumen, 

 thus a number of small polygonal areas may be seen in 

 the gland mouth, sometimes apparently blocking it up. 



The large deeply stained ovoid or oxyntic cells 

 with ovoid nuclei, and the short columnar or polyhedral 

 central or chief cells with spherical nuclei. At the 

 base of the glands the central cells are usually most 

 numerous, the ovoid cells being placed between them 

 and the basement membrane ; towards the neck of the 

 glands the ovoid cells increase in number ; in the neck, 

 the majority of the cells are ovoid, and abut on the 

 lumen. The ovoid cells usually cause a bulging out- 

 wards of the basement membrane ; this is especially the 

 case if the animal has been killed soon after it has fed. 



