326 



STOMACH AND INTESTINE. 



omcntum ; until, arriving nearly at the upper 

 extremity of this cavity, it turns forwards in 

 a slight projection or fold of the serous mem- 

 brane. In this fold, it has a very brief and 

 somewhat arched course, which brings it to 

 the left end of the smaller curvature of the 

 stomach. Here it passes between the two 

 layers of the gastro-heptitic omentum. From 

 hence it continues, in a very tortuous course, 

 along this curvature ; lying close to the 

 stomach, and diminishing in size by giving off 

 frequent branches; until, towards the right or 

 pyloric extremity of the organ, it is lost by 

 anastomosing with the branches of the hepatic 

 artery. 



Its larger or named branches are the ceso- 

 phagcaland the gastric. The first are given off 

 from the highest point of the vessel, or where 

 it enters the gastro-splenic omentum. They 

 run upwards to the oesophagus, and take a 

 longitudinal course ; so as to pass, with this 

 tube, through the opening in the diaphragm. 

 And they anastomose with the thoracic vessels 

 distributed to this tube from the aorta. The 

 gastric ramifications (b,jfig. 250.) run down- 

 wards from the coronary artery on both surfaces 

 of the stomach. They inosculate, on the left, 

 with small branches from the splenic artery ; 

 towards the middle of the organ, with the 

 gastro-epiploic branches ; and at the p} lorus, 

 with the superior pyloric artery. 



The arteria hepatica (c, figs. 250, 251.),which 

 is the next largest branch of the cceliac axis, 

 passes for a short distance outwards, and slightly 

 forwards, from the axis or common trunk, to 

 reach the commencement of the duodenum. It 

 now runs almost vertically upwards between the 

 two layers of peritoneum that form the gastro- 

 hepatic omentum, and in front of the foramen 

 of Winslow (though still with a 'slight incli- 

 nation towards the right side), to end by being 

 distributed in the liver. In this course, it 

 gives off two branches, the gastro-duodenal 

 and the pyloric both of which take an 

 important share in supplying the stomach 

 with arterial blood. 



Fig. 251. 



Arteries of the stomach. The cceliac axis, as seen ly 

 raising the stomach, so as to expose the arterial 

 brandies behind it. 



a, arteria coronaria vcntriculi ; c, arteria hepatica ; 

 d, arteria gastro-duodenalis ; e, arteria gastro-epi- 

 Ploica clextra ; f, arteria pancreatico-duodenalis ; g, 

 arteria pylorica ; h, arteria splenica ; /, arteria gastro- 

 e^iploica sin'stra. 



The gastro-duodenalis (r/, Jigs. 2 50 ,25 1 .) is the 

 first and largest artery of these two. It leaves 

 the hepatic vessel behind the duodenum, passing 

 vertically downwards across the intestine to 

 the lower border of its first portion. In this 

 course, it gives off a few small branches to 

 the neighbouring parts of the stomach and in- 

 testine ; some of which twigs have been dis- 

 tinguished as the inferior pyloric arteries. 

 And at the inferior margin of the bowel, the 

 gastro-duodenal artery bifurcates into two : 

 a large gastro-cpiploic, and a small pancrea- 

 tico-duodenal branch. 



The gastro-epiploica dextra (^,^^.250,251.), 

 the large vessel which continues the gastro- 

 duodenalis, is so named from its situation be- 

 tween those layers of the great omentum which 

 descend from the stomach to form the " epi- 

 ploon "or apron -like fold that covers the greater 

 part of the intestinal canal. Beginning at the 

 lower border of the duodenum, the artery runs 

 from right to left, along the lower margin or 

 great curvature of the stomach, and at a 

 little distance from it, with what is usually a 

 wavy or tortuous direction. In this course, 

 it gives off branches which pass upwards on 

 both surfaces of the organ ; as well as others 

 of less importance, both upwards and down- 

 wards, to the fatty and serous tissues of the 

 omentum itself. And rather beyond the 

 middle of the stomach, or towards its cardiac 

 pouch, it ends by uniting with a corre- 

 sponding branch, of smaller size, from the 

 splenic artery. 



The panmeatico-duodenalis branch (/, fig. 

 251.) has precisely the situation and distri- 

 bution which its name would imply. It runs 

 between the duodenum and the head of the 

 pancreas, lying in the concavity formed by 

 the horse-shoe curve of the canal, or around 

 the convexity by which the gland fits into this 

 hollow. It gives off ramifications to both these 

 structures, and ends by anastomosing with a 

 branch, which comes upwards from the su- 

 perior mesenteric artery and also occupies 

 the same interval between the pancreas and 

 the lower portion of the duodenum. 



The arteria pylorica (g, figs. 250, 251.), 

 which is sometimes distinguished by the title 

 of the pylorica superior from the smaller 

 branches of the gastro-duodenal above allu- 

 ded to, is generally given off from the trunk 

 of the hepatic artery opposite to the upper 

 border of the duodenum. More rarely it is 

 derived from the commencement of its gastro- 

 duodenal branch. In either case, it enters 

 between the layers of the gastro-hepatic omen- 

 tum, and runs in this fold, from right to left, 

 along the upper margin or lesser curvature of 

 the stomach, to join the coronary artery from 

 the cardiac extremity of the organ. It gives 

 off numerous branches to both surfaces of 

 the organ. 



The arteria splenica (h, figs. 250, 25 1 .), or 

 second branch of the cceiiac axis, has no 

 direct.connection with the alimentary canal, 

 until near its division into the terminal 

 trunks by which it enters the spleen. Here 

 it gives off a left gastro^iploic artery ; and 



