REVIEW. 
391 
pylorus was tied, and pressure recommended. Not a drop of 
water escaped by the esophagus. 
“ All these experiments are univocal; they all demonstrate : 
firstly, that the obstacle to the horse’s vomiting is in the superior 
orifice of the stomach; secondly, that it is in that orifice alone; 
and, thirdly, that it is there due, firstly, to that orifice having a 
sphincter, and, secondly, to the direction of that orifice being 
oblique . 
“ Bertin had, therefore, suspected rightly, that the sphincter 
of the superior orifice of the stomach, and the oblique direction 
of that orifice, are the two causes why the horse does not 
vomit.” 
Such is M. Flouren’s statement. My own experiments on 
twenty-two horses’ stomachs have given the following results:— 
A. —Twelve stomachs (with from four to six inches of esopha¬ 
gus attached to each) having been filled with water through the 
pylorus, and this aperture closed by ligatures, allowed that liquid 
to escape through the cardia when little or no pressure was ex¬ 
erted on them. In several, the water at once gravitated through 
the cardia; in others, a very slight manual pressure sufficed to 
force it through that passage. In all cases I have provided for 
the freedom of the cardiac orifice while pressure was applied to 
the surfaces of the stomach : this I have done by placing the 
viscus near the edge of the table, and allowing its cardiac end 
to project a little. M. Flourens states that he caused the 
stomach to be placed on a table, without giving any reason to 
suppose that he took the necessary precaution with reference to 
the cardia. By citing one of the above twelve experiments, it 
will be seen how likely the experimenter, in such a case, is to 
succeed in discovering the object of his wish, if he be not 
cautious in avoiding fallacies. 
A horse’s stomach, with about five inches of esophagus, filled 
with water through the pylorus, and thus secured, when placed 
near the edge of the table with the cardia free, allowed water to 
flow through it by mere gravitation; slight compression exerted 
on the organ sufficed to expel the water to a considerable dis¬ 
tance. When I placed my open hand on the surface of the 
stomach, and pressed forwards, the flow gradually diminished, 
and eventually ceased, even though considerable pressure was 
applied. By directing the pressure forwards I directed the 
cardia downwards, and mechanically closed it: how likely, nay 
almost inevitable, must be a similar result for a similar reason, 
when two men stand on a board placed over the stomach and 
press with jerks. 
B. —A stomach, which did not allow water to flow through the 
cardia when a weight of fifty-two pounds was placed on it, and 
