The Mineral argus., 1884-02-21
Interesting Information About the
Stomach,
FROM the New York Tribune.

FROM the New York Tribune.
The human stomach is the chief organ
Of digestion. 1t is "the expansion of
the superior end of the ~ailmentary canal
for the reception of food, its disintegra-
ton and solution, and the digestion of
albuminoid matter" The average stom-
ach when full is twelve inches long and
four inches high. 1t is situated on the
left side of the body below the diaph-
ragm, behind and beneath the free ribs.
The external layer of the stomach is a
reflection of the peritoneum or serious
membrane lining the abdominal cavity;
the second layer is muscular and has
three seperate sets of fbers-the
oblique, the longitudinal and the circu-
lar. The third coat is cellular and con-
meets the muscular coat with the inter-
nal mucous coat. The third coat con-
tains the b~lood-Vessels which supply the
capillaries beneath the ~secreting glands
of the mucous membrane. The fourth
coat or mucous lining ofthe stomach has
glands of two kinds, the mucous glands
situated at the pyloric ~oriice-that
where the food leaves the stomach and
enters the second stomach or duodenum
and the peptic glands situated in all
other parts than the pylor-
us and secreting the gastric
juice. The main artery of the stomach
springs from the common root with the
main arteries of the liver and of the
spleen, and also receives two branches
of each of them. The terminal branches
of the pneumogastric nerve, which
gives off branches controlling the action
of the heart and lungs, also of the wind
pipe and @sophagus or gullet, are re-
ceIved by the stomach. BY reason of
this sympathetic connection of the stom-
ach with the heart and lungs apparent
disorders Of these organs are
caused simply by functional disorders
of the stomach. What is consid cred
heart disease by many people is simply
one form of indigestion, and can be
cured by eating wisely and not too we'll.
Difficult breathing, hoarsene ss, coughing
are often caused by imperfect digestion.
When food is taken into a healthy
stomach its presence there at once sum-
mons the blood to the stomach, and
the mucous and the peptic glands pour
their contents into the cavity; the
spiral movement of tho mueular
coat begins, the three sets of
muscles-longitudinal, circular and
oblique-freely propel the contained
food from side to side, unless hindered
Dy external compression IN the shape of
corsets and tight Wristbands. Such por-
tons of the TODD as can be assimilated
by the stomach are absorbed and at
once enrich the blood, while those that
require to be mixed with the bile and
pancreatlc juice are, after being reduced
to a PUPPY mass, permitted to pass
through the pylorous into the duoden-
The muscular coats of the sto mach
will be of like tone with the other mus
parts of the body. One cannot
have weak muscles in their arms and
legs and have strong muscles in their
stomachs, and the reverse of this is
true. The laborins man with
theWs and sinews of steel can eat and
digest with robust enjoyment what
would give the weakling a fit o~fsickness. |
If one would have a sound and vigorous
digestion he must have vigorous muscles. |
the necessity of abundance of
wholesome exercise to all who eat.
One may weaken the stomach by not
eating enough, as one may weaken it by
overlooking it and exhausting its ener
yies. But errors in eating are far often
er than otherwise those of excess. At
JACKS of "billcusness" are almost always
he result of injudicious and excessive
Indulgence in eating, and can be cured
abstinence for a time. One of the
most eminent physicians of the present :