OF THE STOMACHS OP RUMINANTS. 
555 
February 1837; but more commonly from the first, second, and 
third ganglion of the thoracic portion of the trisplanchnic. This 
little nerve, which goes to rejoin the bronchial plexus, and con¬ 
tributes to its formation, travels obliquely, crosses the sub-dorso 
atloi'dean muscle (the longus colli), arrives at the side of the 
aorta, forms there a plexus provided with a ganglion, whence 
proceed some filaments to the bronchial plexus, while others 
distribute themselves to the aorta and the oesophagus. This 
description confirms the important discovery of M. Hugier, in 
1833. The two pneumogastrics, after having formed the bron¬ 
chial plexus in union with the branches coming from the tri¬ 
splanchnic, terminate in the two cesophagean nerves, which 
appear as if they were the continuation of the principal cords, 
the right forming the superior, and the left the inferior cesopha¬ 
gean nerve; but these two nerves interchange a vast number of 
anastamosing branches, so that each of the cesophageans appear 
to belong equally to the two pneumogastrics. 
The inferior cesophagean nerve, the least of the two, traverses 
the diaphragmatic opening, and reaches the paunch. Having 
arrived at the stomach, it furnishes a small branch situated to 
the left, and low down, which passes between the diaphragm and 
the anterior surface of the reticulum and proceeds to the poste¬ 
rior surface of the liver, in the substance of which it ramifies, as 
also in the sail-bladder. Havins arrived at the origin of the 
ductus choledochus, this small branch re-unites with a filament 
of the trisplanchnic, which accompanies the hepatic artery. They 
form together a plexus, the nerves emanating from which pene¬ 
trate into the parenchymatous structure of the liver and accom¬ 
pany the hepatic artery, while a continuous branch follows the 
ductus choledochus to the duodenal portion of the small intes¬ 
tines. I mean to say that these compound nervous filaments 
penetrate together into the substance of the liver, following the 
organs of the secretory apparatus of the bile until their termination 
in the duodenum. There exists a conformation very similar to 
this in the dog. 
I have said that the inferior cesophagean nerve abutted direct¬ 
ly upon the reticulum, where it forms two plexuses, without 
receiving any contributory branches. From this stomach, the 
principal branch takes its course to the great curvature of the 
maniplus, where it forms more plexous ramifications, and at 
length it terminates in a large plexus on the great curvature of 
the maniplus. 
In the course of its passage this cesophagean nerve furnishes 
the following branches: 1st, From the first plexus which is 
formed on the reticulum, near the oesophagus, there are divers 
