162 



NORMAL HISTOLOGY. 



The blood-vessels of the stomach include arterial branches from the 

 three subdivisions of the coeliac axis. At first the arteries lie just beneath 

 the peritoneum, between the folds of which they gain the stomach and to 

 which they give off branches. They then pierce the muscular tunic, whose 

 outer part is supplied during their passage. On reaching the submucous 

 coat, the arteries, still of considerable size, form a coarse network, from 

 which some small vessels pass into the muscular layer to complete its supply, 

 while many more penetrate the muscularis mucosae and enter the tunica 

 propria. Here they form a network beneath the glands from which pass 

 slender capillaries to surround the gastric tubules and to encircle the mouths 



Mucosa 



Submucosa PB9 



Muscularis 



FIG. 201. Transverse section of injected stomach. X 50. 



of the glands beneath the epithelium. From these superficial capillaries the 

 blood is returned by relatively straight unbranching veins that pass between 

 the gland-tubules and join the venous plexus in the deepest part of the 

 tunica propria. Thence tributaries join the submucous venous plexus from 

 which the larger trunks accompany the arteries. Although the important 

 tributaries of the portal system are devoid of valves, the veins which imme- 

 diately drain the stomach are provided with such folds. 



The lymphatics of the stomach begin within the tunica propria as 

 blind capillaries that course between the gland-tubules as far as the close 

 network in the depth of the stroma. Numerous channels establish com- 

 munication between the lymph-paths of the mucosa and the wide-meshed 

 plexus of larger vessels within the submucous coat. A second network of 

 lymph-capillaries extends between the layers of muscle and joins the efferent 

 lymph-paths that connect the gastric walls with the neighboring nodes. 



