VOMITING. 299 



the stomach. At each nausea, the finger was compressed, 

 but the stomach seemed passive ; and when vomiting took 

 place and part of the contents of the stomach was dis- 

 charged, the finger was " compressed with a force really ex- 

 traordinary." The incision in the abdomen was then en- 

 larged so that the stomach could be seen. The stomach 

 became distended with air at each nausea, and when vomit- 

 ing occurred again, it was compressed without presenting the 

 slightest contraction of its intrinsic muscular fibres. The air 

 with which the stomach was distended before each act of 

 vomiting evidently was introduced by the oesophagus, as 

 was shown by experiments which have been already quoted. 1 

 In another experiment, four grains of emetic were injected 

 into the jugular of a dog, a large incision was made into the 

 abdomen, and the stomach was drawn entirely out so as to 

 be removed from the pressure of the muscles. Though the 

 animal made violent efforts at vomiting, the contents of the 

 stomach were undisturbed, and the organ remained perfectly 

 motionless and flaccid. Yomiting was then produced by 

 vigorous pressure of the stomach, outside of the abdomen, 

 with the hands. In another experiment, the stomach was 

 drawn out of the abdomen, the vessels carefully ligated, and 

 the organ extirpated. Into the abdomen was then introduced 

 a small pig's bladder, to the neck of which was fixed a gum- 

 elastic tube, which was passed into the oesophagus and se- 

 cured in that position by threads. About a pint of water was 

 then introduced into the bladder which was made to take 

 the place of the stomach, and the wound in the abdomen was 

 closed with points of the interrupted suture. Emetic was 

 then injected into the veins, and in a few moments efforts at 

 vomiting supervened, and the contents of the bladder were 

 discharged by the mouth. These remarkable experiments 

 proved conclusively the want of action of the stomach itself 

 in vomiting, and the mechanism of the discharge of its con- 

 tents by compression exerted upon it by the abdominal mus- 



1 See page 20Y. 



