208 Anatomy Applied to Medicine and Surgery. 



opening. The lesser curvature varies from three to six 

 inches in length, and is directed, starting at the cesophageal 

 opening, in a curved manner to the right and then slightly 

 upwards. In its descent, it lies by the side of the eleventh 

 and twelfth dorsal vertebrae, and then crosses the first 

 lumbar to turn upwards to the level of the twelfth dorsal, 

 where it terminates at the pyloric opening. This curva- 

 ture has attached to it the gastro-hepatic omentum, which 

 is composed of two layers of peritoneum that descend 

 from the transverse fissure of the liver to the stomach. On 

 reaching the lesser curvature these two layers separate so 

 as to enclose the stomach, one passing in front, over the 

 anterior, and the other, behind, over the posterior surface. 

 At the left extremity of the lesser curvature these layers 

 surround the oesophagus and pass to the diaphragm form- 

 ing the gastro-phrenic ligament, while to the left of the 

 fundus they surround the spleen forming the gastro- 

 splenic omentum. Between the folds of the gastro- 

 hepatic omentum, near where it is attached to the. lesser 

 curvature, are : The gastric and the pyloric arteries, the 

 corresponding veins that empty into the portal, and the 

 lymphatics that pass from the stomach to the coeliac glands 

 and thence into the receptaculum chyli. The greater 

 curvature is about four or five times as long as the lesser, 

 and, starting at the cesophageal opening, it passes upwards 

 and backwards with a decided curve to form the upper 

 limit of the fundus. It then passes downwards as the 

 left border of the fundus, and, after turning to the right, 

 ends at the pylorus. This curvature rests on the trans- 

 verse colon and has attached to it the great omentum, 

 which, formed by the two layers above mentioned, that 

 cover the stomach, passes downwards in front of the intes- 

 tines. 



