(ESOPHAGEAL NERVES. 241 



Properties and Functions of the (Esophageal Nemes. 

 The muscular walls and the mucous membrane of the oesoph- 

 agus are supplied entirely by branches from the pneumogas- 

 trics. The upper portion is supplied by filaments from the 

 inferior laryngeal branches, the middle portion, by filaments 

 from the posterior pulmonary branches, and the inferior 

 portion receives the oesophageal branches. These branches 

 are both sensory and motor ; but probably the motor fila- 

 ments largely predominate, for the mucous membrane, 

 though it is sensible to the extremes of heat and cold, the 

 feeling of distention, and a burning sensation upon the 

 application of strong irritants, is by no means acutely sen- 

 sitive. 



That the movements of the oesophagus are animated by 

 branches from the pneumogastrics, has been clearly shown 

 by experiments. In the first place, except in animals in 

 which the anatomical distribution of the nerves is differ- 

 ent from the arrangement in the human subject, the entire 

 oesophagus is paralyzed by dividing the nerves in the neck. 

 In a series of very elaborate experiments, by Chauveau, it 

 was shown that section of the nerves in the cervical region 

 paralyzed the entire length of the oesophagus in rabbits, but, 

 owing to a peculiar distribution of the nerves in dogs, the 

 section paralyzed only the terminal portion. 1 



According to Bouchardat and Sandras, 2 Longet, and oth- 

 ers, when the pneumogastrics are divided in the cervical 

 region, in dogs, if the animals attempt to swallow a consid- 

 erable quantity of food, the upper part of the oesophagus is 

 found enormously distended. 3 Bernard noted, in a dog in 

 which a gastric fistula had been established, that articles of 

 food given to the animal did not pass into the stomach, 



1 CHAUVEAF, Du nerf pneumogastrigue considere comme agent excitateur et 

 comme aye-it coordinateur dcs contractions cesophagiennes. Journal de la physio- 

 logic, Paris, 1862, tome v., p. 342. 



8 BOUCHARDAT ET SAXDRAS, Experiences snr Ics fonctions des nerfs pnewno- 

 gaslriques dans la digestion. Comptes rendus, Paris, 1847, tome xxiv., p. 59. 



3 LOXGET, Traite de physiologic, Paris, 1869, tome lit, p. 54T. 



