The appearance of the stomach during vomiting has been studied
particularly by Openchowski. He says that when an emetic is given
there follows a quivering of the stomach-wall, which, beginning near
the pylorus, shows itself later in the antral and middle regions of
the stomach. The quivering afterwards passes into a contraction, most
strongly marked in the antral part, since the peristaltic waves running
down to the antrum from above are continually growing deeper. At the
same time the fundus expands spherically. The increased contraction in
the pyloric part drives the contents towards the more dilated portion,
and thence they are forced into the œsophagus by abdominal pressure.
The same phenomena occur when a cat is given apomorphine
hypodermatically. First the upper circular muscles relax and become so
flaccid that the slightest movement of the abdomen changes the form
of the fundus. Then there are apparently irregular twitchings of the
fundus wall. Soon a deep constriction starts about three centimetres
below the cardia and, growing in strength, moves towards the pylorus.
When it reaches the transverse band the constriction tightens and holds
fast, while a wave of contraction sweeps over the antrum. Another
similar constriction follows. In the interval the transverse band
relaxes slightly, but tightens again when the second wave reaches
it. Perhaps a dozen such waves pass; then a firm contraction at the
beginning of the antrum completely divides the gastric cavity into
two parts. This same division of the stomach into two parts at the
transverse band is to be seen when mustard is given. Now, although
the waves are still running over the antrum, the whole preantral part
of the stomach is fully relaxed. A flattening of the diaphragm and a
quick jerk of the abdominal muscles, accompanied by the opening of the
cardia, now force the contents of the fundus into the œsophagus. As
the spasmodic contractions of the abdominal muscles are repeated, the
gastric wall again tightens around the contained food. Antiperistalsis
I have seen only once; then, while the cat was retching, a constriction
started at the pylorus and ran back, over the antrum, completely
obliterating the antral cavity.
It will be recalled that the principal difference between the
movements of the stomach and their effects as described by Beaumont,
and Hofmeister and Schütz on the one hand, and Rossbach, Roux and
Balthazard, and myself on the other hand, is that the former observed
constrictions completely dividing the stomach at the transverse band,
and the antrum then squeezing its contents into the intestines; whereas
the latter have seen the constrictions moving forward as narrowing
rings, but not separating the gastric cavity into two parts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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