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CHAP. III. 



DIGESTION. 



" THE stomach is the organ of digestion. It exists, what cannot 

 be affirmed of any other viscus, in, perhaps, all animals without 

 exception ; and, if the importance of parts may be estimated in 

 this way, evidently holds the first rank among our organs. 



" The human stomach a resembles a very large leathern bottle, 

 is capable, in the adult, of containing three pints and upwards of 

 water, and has two openings. 



" The superior, called cardia, at which the oesophagus, folded 

 and opening obliquely, expands into the stomach, is placed to- 

 wards the left side of its fundus. 



" The inferior, at which the right and narrow part of the sto- 

 mach terminates, is called pylorus, and descends somewhat into 

 the cavity of the duodenum. 



" The situation of the stomach varies accordingly as it is in a 

 state of repletion or depletion. When empty, it is flaccid, and 

 hangs into the cavity of the abdomen, its greater curvature in- 

 clining downwards, while the pylorus, being directed upwards, 

 forms, by doubling, an angle with the duodenum. b 



" When full, the larger curvature is rolled forwards , so that 

 the pylorus lies more in a line with the duodenum, while the 

 cardia, on the contrary, is folded, as it were, into an angle and 

 closed. 



" The stomach is composed of four principal coats, separated 

 by the intervention of three others, which are merely cellular. 



" The external is common to nearly all the alimentary canal, and 

 continuous with the omentum, as we shall presently mention. 



" Within this, and united to it by cellular membrane, lies the 

 muscular coat, which is particularly worthy of notice from being 



a " Eustachius, tab. x. fig. 1,2, 3. 



Ruysch, Thes. Anat. ii. tab. v. fig. 1. 



Santorini, Tab. Posth. xi." 



b " Vesalius, De c. h. Fabrica. L. v. fig. 14, 15." 

 c Id. 1. c. fig. 2." 



G 



