634 , DIGESTION. 



cardiac orifice, during inspiration, is closed between the pillars of the 

 diaphragm. Again, to object that, according to the theory of M. Ma- 

 gendie, vomiting ought to be a voluntary phenomenon, is a feeble 

 argument; for it is admitted, that the muscles, which, at the time, 

 compress the stomach, act convulsively. If the diaphragm, in paraly- 

 sis of the bladder, cannot effect the excretion of the urine, it is because 

 that reservoir is not favourably situate as regards the muscle; and, 

 lastly, the arguments deduced from birds, that they are capable of 

 vomiting, although they have no diaphragm, is equally insufficient, for 

 it is not absolutely necessary that it should be a diaphragm, but any 

 muscle that can compress the stomach. 



When the Memoir of M. Maingault was presented to the society of 

 the Faculte de Medecine, M. Legallois and Professor Be'clard were 

 named reporters. The experiments were repeated before them by M. 

 Maingault ; but, instead of appearing contradictory to those of Ma- 

 gendie, these gentlemen declared, that they were not sufficiently mul- 

 tiplied, nor sufficiently various, to lead to any positive conclusion. 

 MM. Legallois and Be'clard subsequently repeated and varied them; 

 and instituted others, from which they deduced corollaries, entirely 

 conformable to those of M. Magendie; 1 and lastly, M. Bdgin 2 boldly 

 affirms, "without fear of being contradicted by facts, that there is no 

 direct or authentic experiment, that demonstrates the activity of the 

 stomach during vomiting:" and he adds, "I have repeated the greater 

 part of the experiments of Magendie; he has performed all in presence 

 of a great number of spectators, of whom I was one ; and I can say, 

 with the commissioners of the Academie des Sciences, that I have seen, 

 examined, touched, and my conviction is full and entire." Still, many 

 eminent physiologists have adhered to the idea, that the stomach is 

 the main agent in vomiting ; and among these was M. Broussais. 3 He 

 manifestly, however, confounded the phenomena of regurgitation with 

 those of vomiting ; which, we have endeavoured to show, are distinct. 



A case of wound of the left hypochondrium with escape of the sto- 

 mach was described to the Academie Royale de M6decine, by M. 

 Lupine, and reported upon by MM. Lagneau, Gimelle, and Be'rard, 4 

 which confirms the views adopted by M. Magendie. During the whole 

 of the period, that the stomach remained out of the abdominal cavity, 

 there was no apparent contraction of the muscular fibres of the organ, 

 and none of its contents were expelled, although the patient made 

 violent efforts to vomit. As soon, however, as the stomach had been 

 returned into the abdomen, the efforts were followed by the expulsion 

 of its contents. M. Ldpine confirms the observations of Magendie in 

 another point. After each act of vomiting, the patient appeared to 

 swallow air. "I observed him," says M. Le'pine, "execute repeated 



1 Bulletin de la Faculte et de la Societe de Med., 1813, No. x., and CEuvres de Legallois, 

 Paris, 1824. 



2 Traite de Therapeutique, Paris, 1825. 



3 Traite de Physiologic, etc., Drs. Bell and La Roche's translation, p. 345, Philad., 1832. 



4 Bulletin de TAcademie Royale de Medecine, 1844. See the cases cited in Philad. 

 Med. Examiner, April 20, 1844, p. 92; also a case of Wound of Abdomen, in Amer. Journ. 

 of the Med. Sciences, Oct., 1846, p. 379. 



