^ imuCTURB AND 6fB iCZ OF THE STOMA^B. 



only met with in one instance out of four, that were exannined. 

 He gives a drawing of the appearance, but makes no coiu- 

 ments on the cause of the contraction*. 

 Attempt to Finding this contraction was met with, when the human 



frw uce 1 in a gj-Q^jjach was nearly empty, I endeavoured to produce it in 

 the cat, by having the stomach emptied by means of an 

 emetic a short time before the animal's death. This did not 

 however succeed ; for although in tlie contracted state the 

 line between the cardiac and pyloric portions was very dis- 

 tinct, and the last more contracted than the former, yet 

 upon distending the stomach with air, the middle portion 

 Camiotbepro- relaxed equally with the rest. The contraction at this part 



ducedartifi- j^ therefore only to be seen, when these fibres have acted in- 



cally. "^ 



dependently of the others ; which takes place while the func- 

 tions of the stomach are going on, but cannot be artificially 

 produced. 



Dog. In examining the stomach of a dog in a contracted state, 



and afterward when it was distended, the line between the 

 two portions could be distinctly perceived, even after the 

 contraction was destroyed, by the longitudinal folds of the 

 internal membrane of the pyloric portion all terminating 

 there. 



Food disso'ved That the food is dissolved in the cardiac portion of the 



in the cardiac human stomach, is proved by this part only being found 

 ' digested after death ; the instances of which are sufficiently 



numerous, to require no addition being made to them. This 

 could not take place unless the solvent liquor was deposited 

 there. Mr. Hunter goes so far as to say, in his paper on 

 . this subject, " there are few dead bodies in which the sto- 



mach at its great end is not in some degree digested." 



' ♦ La conformation du ventricule etoit particuliere,etbien different eft 

 cc sujet de celle, que nous avons trouves aux autres lions, que nous 

 avons dissequcs, oii le yeiitricule 6toit semblable a celui des chiens et 

 des chats ; ayant un fond ample et large vers i'ori6ce superieur qui alloit 

 toujours en s'euecissant vers le pylore ; mais celui ci avoit le fond se- 

 par6 en deux, en quelque fa^on comme les aniraaux qui ruminent. 

 Ce forme particulitre du ventricule n'etoit qu'en un seul des quatre. ani- 

 niaux de cette esp^ce que nous avous dissequds, s^avoir deux lions ct 

 deux lionnes 



Mimoires pour servir a I'Uisioire Naturelle des Animaux, dressdz par 

 M. Perrault, Fol. i:d..l67G. 



That 



