ABDOMINAL CAVITY 469 



The pyloric extremity of the empty stomach lies in the 

 transpyloric plane (Addison) either where the latter cuts the 

 median plane or from half an inch to an inch to the right of 

 the median plane. The transpyloric plane is situated midway 

 between the upper margin of the manubrium sterni and the 

 upper margin of the symphysis pubis. 



The conditions which give rise to the position and form of the empty 

 stomach as described above are sufficiently obvious when the nature of the 



Pyloric canal of stomach 

 Inferior vena cava \ 

 Duodeno-pyloric constriction \ \ 

 Right suprarenal gland \ \ 1 

 Duodenum (ist part) \ \ \ i Stomach 



Kidney (right) \ \ \ \ s \: \\vlm : / Spleen (colic 



surface) 



Duodenum (2nd 'part)" ^ ^J ofpancreas 



Head of pancreas / 1 Kidney (left) 



Superior mesenteric vessels l Left suprarenal gland 



Ureter 

 Duodenum (3rd part) 



FIG. 1 8 1. Horizontal position of the Stomach in a Child two years old ; 

 viscera hardened by formalin injection. 



chamber within the abdomen which is occupied by the organ is considered. 

 The roof of this chamber formed by the liver and diaphragm is more 

 resistant, more unyielding, than the floor, which is chiefly formed by the 

 transverse meso-colon buoyed up by the movable coils of small intestine. 

 As the stomach becomes empty and contracted, the intestines, acted on by 

 the abdominal wall, rise up and press it against the sloping visceral 

 surface of the liver, and the slope or gradual descent to the right which is 

 ' so characteristic a feature of the upper surface of the empty stomach is the 

 result. 



When the stomach becomes full> it may either retain the 

 horizontal position which is characteristic of the organ when 

 it is empty or it may assume a more or less oblique position, 

 i 30 & 



