37 
structure of the brain and nerves, &c. 
generally are ; Mr. Clift’s important occupations at the Col- 
lege depriving me of his valuable assistance. I requested Mr. 
Chevalier to inject, as minutely as possible, the branches of 
the splenic artery and vein going to the stomach. In one 
instance, he succeeded so well that the arteries were filled to 
the most minute branches, and some of the injection had 
passed into the stomach, without any apparent rupture of the 
vessel. No part of this coloured injection had got into the 
veins, which in other parts of the circulation generally 
happens. Between the villi and the muscular coats of the 
stomach there is a very fine elastic cellular membrane : it 
admits of being drawn out to more than three times its na- 
tural thickness ; and it was by doing so, Mr. Bauer caused 
these smaller arteries to be exposed, and, along with them, 
small valvular vessels quite empty ; the valves were very 
numerous, and nearly at equal distances. In tracing these 
towards the cavity, they became indistinct just as they en- 
tered the villi. These appearances are shown in PL III. 
fig. 2, 3, 4. This representation of the valves in these ves- 
sels, as well as that of the valves of the vessels in the brain, 
may be considered as demonstrations of the fact ; and still 
more valuable than preparations, since the appearance can 
be better preserved. 
To show the course of the absorbed fluids, as well as to give 
a clear idea of every thing connected with so important 
a discovery, a drawing of the spleen, the vas breve, and 
cardiac portion of the stomach, is annexed [PI. IV;] and as the 
trunk of the splenic vein forms one of the trunks of the 
vena portae, the liquids are directly carried to the liver, 
