36 CELLULAR OR NERVOUS COAT OF THE STOMACH. 



oblique, which are few in number, and spread over the left extre- 

 mity or greater tuberosity. But it seems an unnecessary degree 

 of refinement, to consider these fibres other than the circular 

 altered in their direction, by the expansion which the left end of 

 the stomach undergoes shortly after birth. They cannot 

 well be studied except in cases where the muscular coat of the 

 stomach is in a state of hypertrophy. 



The use of these oblique fibres, appears to be, to compress 

 the great tuberosity of the stomach, and force the matters which 

 it contains into the body of the stomach and towards the 

 pylorus. The muscular fibres of the stomach are pale, and 

 present in regard to color, the appearance of ligamentous 

 fibres, for which they were mistaken by Helvetius and 

 Winslow. This appearance is common likewise, to the mus- 

 cular fibres of the intestinal canal, and of the bladder. 

 In the young infant, the shape of the stomach is more tubular, 

 and like that of an intestine ; its left or splenic pouch not having 

 yet been formed. Hence vomiting occurs so much more readily 

 in the child than in the adult, the axis of the stomach in the 

 latter, corresponding at its two extremities more nearly with 

 that of the cardiac and pyloric orifices. 



The cardiac orifice of the stomach is not provided with any 

 sphincter, as it was thought to be by the ancients. 



In contact with the internal surface of the muscular coat is 

 the cellular stratum, which has been called the Nervous Coat 

 of the stomach. It is dense and firm, of a whitish color, 

 resembling condensed cellular membrane. It was considered 

 as different from ordinary cellular membrane : but if air be 

 insinuated into its texture, by blowing between the muscular 

 and villous coats while it yet connects them to each other, it ex- 

 hibits the proper appearance of cellular substance. It, however, 

 adds greatly to the general strength of the stomach, and the 

 vessels which terminate in the villous coat ramify in it. 



The cellular coat is the most resisting of all the tunics of 

 the stomach, and may be considered as the basis or frame- 

 work of its structure. It is more closely united to the muscular 

 coat on its outer face, than to the mucous on its inner. Its 



