THE ABDOMEN. 141 



tion of the gastric nerve center in the brain or by irrita- 

 tion of the stomach itself. 



Intestinal Canal. From the stomach the food passes 

 into the intestinal canal, a convoluted tube which extends 

 from the stomach to the anus and in which, more partic- 

 ularly in the upper portion, the greater part of the diges- 



FIG. 54. The intestinal canal: 1, Stomach; 2, duodenum; 3, jejunum; 4, 

 ileum; 5, cecum; 6, vermiform appendix; 7, ascending colon; 8, transverse 

 colon; 9, descending colon; 10, sigmoid flexure; 11, rectum. (Leidy.) 



tion and absorption of food takes place. This tube, 

 which is about six times the height of its possessor, con- 

 sists of two parts, the small and the large intestines, the 

 first four-fifths, or about 25 feet, being small intestine. 

 It occupies the central and lower parts of the abdominal 

 cavity and a small portion of the pelvic cavity, and is 

 attached to the spine by the mesentery, which, however, 



