In this paper, the results of a study of the effect of stimulation of the visceral nerves and distention of the stomach, the lower part of the esophagus and the gallbladder will be reported. The results of such a study are obviously not only of academic interest but also of clinical interest, because of the relative frequency of attacks of coronary thrombosis and angina pectoris after the ingestion of food and accompanying gaseous distention.
The study of the effect of visceral excitation on coronary flow appears at first sight to be simple and clearcut. However, because a number of other factors are concerned in regulating the coronary circulation, the problem is somewhat involved. The chief factor regulating coronary flow, which has been recognized as such by all investigators of coronary circulation, is blood pressure.1 The rise and fall of blood pressure and the rise and fall of coronary flow