chap. xvii. i THE STOMACH. 301 



On reference to the development of the stomach, it 

 will be seen that it is originally placed vertically in 

 the abdomen. This position may be to a great extent 

 maintained in adult life. The feats of an acrobat who 

 styles himself "the sword swallower," can hardly be 

 explained on any other supposition than that his 

 stomach is vertical ; but whether such condition is 

 congenital, or has been produced by the manoeuvre 

 he practises, must be an open question. 



Although the mobility of the stomach is not con- 

 siderable, yet it is frequently found to occupy both 

 diaphragmatic and epigastric hernise. 



The stomach has been frequently wounded. In 

 most cases a fatal result rapidly follows upon these 

 injuries, for the contents of the stomach escape 

 into the peritoneal cavity and set up an acute 

 peritonitis. The most certainly and rapidly fatal 

 cases, therefore, are those in which the stomach was 

 full of food at the time of the accident. The 

 empty stomach, being deeply placed and lying 

 against the posterior abdominal wall in a collapsed 

 state, is but little exposed to injury. A small punc- 

 tured wound of the stomach need not be followed by 

 escape of contents, since the loosely attached mucous 

 membrane may escape from the wound and effectually 

 plug it. The stomach has protruded through wounds 

 in the abdominal walls, and has been returned, with 

 no evil results following. In a few cases the belly 

 wall in front of the stomach has been wounded, the 

 viscus has protruded, its anterior wall has been 

 wounded by the same injury that penetrated the pa- 

 rietes, and a fistulous opening leading into the stomach 

 cavity has resulted. The best example of such cases 

 is afforded by the well-known instance of Alexis St. 

 Martin, the subject of so many physiological experi- 

 ments. In this man the abdominal parietes in front 

 of the stomach were torn away by a gunshot wound, 



