230 



APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



oesophagus may escape injury except at the cardiac 

 orifice, which is much longer in contact with them. 



The process of deglutition in the case of well-chewed 

 and thoroughly insalivated solids is very much the same 

 as that of fluids, but if lumps of dry food are swallowed, 

 they traverse the oesophagus very slowly, and may, 



FIG. 15. To SHOW POSITION OF SHADOW AT INTERVALS OF ONE 

 SECOND DURING THE SWALLOWING OF A MOUTHFUL OF MILK 



CONTAINING BlSMUTH CARBONATE. (HERTZ.) 



indeed, stick there for some minutes. It has been 

 suggested (Hertz) that the feeling of pressure in the 

 chest experienced after a hurried meal may be due to 

 distension of the oesophagus caused by the presence of 

 solid lumps of food, which only pass very slowly down- 

 wards. 



