STOMACH DIGESTION. 



191 



STOMACH DIGESTION. 



The food having reached the stomach, now undergoes stomach 

 or gastric digestion. 



The stomach is a hollow organ into which the esophagus opens, 



joyiericufn- 



FIG. 104. Anterior outlines of stomach. His' model. 



the opening being called the cardia or cardiac orifice, and which 

 at its lower end communicates with the small intestine through 

 the pyloric orifice. Its greatest diameter is from 24 'to 26 cm., 

 and that from the lesser to the greater curvature, 10 to 12 cm. 

 It can hold from 2.5 to 4 liters. When empty its walls are in 

 apposition. Its form and position are shown in Figs. 104 and 

 105. 



The study of the movements of the stomach by Cannon by means 



FIG. 105. Posterior outlines of stomach. His' model. 



of the Rontgen ray, using subnitrate of bismuth to throw a dark 

 shadow on the fluorescent screen (p. 201), has brought out some 



