62 THE GLANDS OF THE FUNDUS. [BOOK II. 



The glands At the fundus of the stomach the mucous membrane 



Pe tic ^ands*' a PP ears thinner, but it contains a far greater amount of 

 glandular elements than are found in the pyloric region. 

 The individual glands are deeper, and they are separated from one 

 another by a much smaller quantity of connective tissue. 



The Peptic glands are usually arranged in groups of four or 

 five. The open mouths at the bottom of the alveoli lead into ducts 

 lined by cylindrical epithelium ; " into each of these ducts open two 

 or three tubes, the gland tubes proper." 



In the gland tube we may distinguish, a somewhat constricted 

 neck, and a main part the body, which increases in width as it pro- 

 ceeds towards the blind extremity. 



The gland tube possesses a membrana propria, or basement 

 membrane, upon the inner surface of which is placed the secreting 

 epithelium, and outside of which are blood-vessels, lymphatics and 

 nerves. 



It has been said that the epithelium lining the duct common to 

 several secreting tubes is columnar; in the glandular tubes them- 

 selves epithelium cells of two kinds are observed. Firstly, large 

 ovoid cells, with oval nuclei, less numerous towards the blind end 

 of the gland, are seen lying against the basement membrane and 

 causing it in some places to bulge outwards. These are the peptic 

 cells, properly so called, of the older English writers, the border cells 

 (Belegzellen) of Heidenhain 1 , the delomorphous cells of Rollet, the 

 oxyntic cells of Langley; they do not form a continuous layer, but 

 occur at intervals. The border cells are not distinctly granular in 

 the fresh state, but become so on treatment with many reagents. 



Situated internal to them and between them are cylindrical or 

 cubical cells, the so-called adelomorphous cells of Rollet, which have 

 been called ' Hauptzellen ' or chief cells by Heidenhain, and which 

 may most fitly be described as the central cells of the peptic glands. 

 These central cells are recognized as essentially similar, both in 

 structure and function, to the deeper columnar or more properly 

 cubical cells which alone line the interior of the fundus of the pyloric 

 glands. Heidenhain 2 points out, however, that the chief cells of the 

 peptic glands present a coarse granulation which hides the borders 

 of the separate cells, whilst the cells of the pyloric glands contain 

 a much finer granular matter which allows of their borders being 

 distinctly seen. On account of this and of some other differences 

 the border cells and the pyloric cells cannot be regarded as being 

 identical 3 . The lumen of the peptic glands is an exceedingly narrow 

 canal, and contrasts with the much wider canal which penetrates to 

 the depths of the pyloric glands. 



1 Heidenhain, Arch. f. mik. Anat. vi. p. 368, 1870. 



2 Heidenhain, Hermann's Handbuch, Vol. v. p. 101, 1880. 



3 Langley and Sewall, 'Changes in Pepsin-forming Cells,' Proc. Roy. Soc. No. 194, 

 p. 386, 1879; Journ. of Phys., Vol. n. 299, 1879. 



