. The cyclopædia of anatomy and physiology. Anatomy; Physiology; Zoology. STOMACH AND INTESTINE. which is longitudinal: and an internal, which is circular or transverse — a general arrange- ment to which even the stomach forms no real exception. Before the discovery of the fibre cell by Koelliker, it was a matter of fruitless speculation, how these unstriped fibres termi- nated;—in other words, what was their indivi- dual length. But although this question is of course set at rest, it still remains doubtful, whether the transverse fibres of the alimentary canal return into themselves on comple
. The cyclopædia of anatomy and physiology. Anatomy; Physiology; Zoology. STOMACH AND INTESTINE. which is longitudinal: and an internal, which is circular or transverse — a general arrange- ment to which even the stomach forms no real exception. Before the discovery of the fibre cell by Koelliker, it was a matter of fruitless speculation, how these unstriped fibres termi- nated;—in other words, what was their indivi- dual length. But although this question is of course set at rest, it still remains doubtful, whether the transverse fibres of the alimentary canal return into themselves on completing one circle of the tube, or whether they take a spiral course. The latter view appears to the author much more probable. For some of their bundles often appear to join each other at a very acute angle. And whatever be the precise mechanism of their really co-ordinate contractions, it is clear that, in the longitu- dinal fibres, the direction and progress of con- traction correspond to the axis of the cell : — that is, to the line uniting the greatest number of its sarcous particles. While it is equally obvious that, if the course of these transverse fibres were absolutely circular, the peristalsis of the whole stratum they compose would move at right angles to their axes. Such a difference in their contraction would be so unlikely, as to justify our preferring the sup- position of their spiral arrangement. For this would allow of an identity in the contractions of the two strata in this respect. The course of contraction would be axial in both sets of fibres; but, ccetcris 2wibus, slower (and hence apparently more local) in the far longer bundles of the transverse coils. The spiral currents hereafter alluded to as seen in the contents of the stomach perhaps strengthen this supposition. The longitudinal layer of the stomach is de- rived from the similar tunic of the oesophagus. This, on reaching the cardia, radiates on all sides, its bundles becoming thinner as they d
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