TOPOGRAPHY OF THE THORAX AND ABDOMEN 39 



tinuation of the right side of the oesophagus, lies to the 

 left of the midplane at the eleventh vertebra and to the right 

 at the twelfth vertebra. It is under cover of the inferior 

 surface of the liver. The greater curvature of the stomach, 

 which is a continuation of the left side of the oesophagus, 

 passes upward and outward from the cardia under the fifth 

 rib below the left dome of the diaphragm. It comes down- 

 ward under the seventh rib, leaves the costal arch under 

 the tenth costal cartilage, crosses the midplane at the upper 

 part of the first lumbar vertebra and ends at the outer part 

 of the pylorus just internal to the end of the right ninth 

 cartilage. It lies in direct contact with the diaphragm and 

 the anterior abdominal wall through the greater part of its 

 course. 



The anterior surface of the fundus and the body are 

 in contact with the inferior surface of the left lobe of the 

 liver, the diaphragm and anterior abdominal wall. The 

 anterior border of the left lobe of the liver is relatively 

 high so that the stomach comes into direct contact below 

 the liver with the anterior abdominal wall internal to the 

 costal arch and with the diaphragm external to the costal 

 arch. That part of the anterior surface of the pyloric por- 

 tion lying to the left of the midplane is in contact with the 

 internal part of the inferior surface of the left lobe, but that 

 part lying to the right of the midplane is in contact with the 

 inferior surface of the quadrate lobe and the peritonaeal 

 surface of the fundus of the gall bladder (Plates XVI and 

 XVII). 



The posterior surface of the stomach is in contact with 

 the spleen which separates it from the diaphragm and base 

 of the lungs below the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra. 

 (See relations of lung to stomach.) The internal part of 

 the posterior surface of the stomach is attached to the 



