REVIEW. 
393 
ing into the stomach, I found the mucous membrane at the 
cardia very much folded. 
The experiments A, B, C, D, warrant us in denying the exist¬ 
ence of a sphincter at the horse’s cardia. It would have been 
more satisfactory had the experiments E, F, G, been completed. 
Nevertheless, the fact that the results most closely agreed with 
M. Flourens when, through inexperience, I conducted them with 
the least caution, may not be without weight in the establish¬ 
ment of the truth. When once it has been proved that, owing 
to its laxity, the thick mucous membrane forms folds at the dead 
horse’s cardia, which more or less completely occlude it, it is 
easy to understand how—according to whether the stomach be 
contracted or dilated at the time of death—the degree of ob¬ 
struction should vary. No application can fairly be made of 
the possibility of this obstruction in the dead horse’s stomach to 
the physiology of that viscus during life; because the very fact 
of the mucous lining of a strong muscular tube being much folded 
proves that its bore is susceptible of being much dilated, pro¬ 
vided the stimulus to dilatation be communicated to the muscular 
structure. 
Though we believe that the citation of further evidence on 
this point is not essential to the cause of truth, it may not be 
quite useless to oppose to M. Flourens the opinion published in 
1847 by one of his distinguished countrymen. In M. Mignon’s 
report, already quoted, we find the following passage: “ The 
reporter of your commission, when in charge of the anatomical 
works at the Alfort school, has many times proved, while 
passing a current of water through the first portions of the ali¬ 
mentary canal, that it was extremely easy to make the water 
introduced into the stomach through the duodenum escape 
through the esophagus; it was sufficient for this purpose to fix 
a stop-cock firmly and hermetically in the duodenum. The 
water on entering the stomach, first filled it, and visibly dis¬ 
tended it; then dilated the cardia into a kind of funnel; finally 
forced its way through that orifice, and flowed outwards.” 
A somewhat less erroneous, because less exclusive, theory 
than any of the preceding has been advocated by Girard. 
After having described the arrangement of the muscular fibres 
at the horse’s cardia, he states, that he regards that as the prin¬ 
cipal cause of the inaptitude of monodactyles to vomit; as 
accessories to it, the peculiar mode of insertion of the esopha¬ 
gus, the shape and position of the stomach. We have already 
confuted the evidence which has been adduced by Bertin and 
others, to prove that the obstacle to vomiting resides in the 
muscular fibres of the cardia. As to the influence of the pecu¬ 
liar mode of insertion of the esophagus, and the shape of the 
