The Stomach
that is
the "Centre"

© 2008-2012 Stefano Marcelli

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:: yellow text means unrevised translation/incomplete work ::

NB: the author considers and uses the words "channel", "meridian" and "vessel" as synonyms.
 

The Stomach meridian and its corresponding internal organ play a fundamental role in the traditional Chinese medical physiology. All organs "turn" around the stomach that is the "Centre". Observing the image below, the only shape that the stomach channel pathway (orange) over the face recalls is the primitive midgut (on the right), when before it rotates from the sagittal to the coronal plane, forms a loop that herniates physiologically into the umbilical chord. We have already seen it in the section of the Small Intestine channel. What here is of special interest is that, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, every organ-channel of the lower limb is coupled with the yang-yin equivalent organ-channel of the upper limb, and vice versa (see minimal knowledge on the acupuncture channel system). The coupled channel of the stomach is that of the Large Intestine. Following after each other —Large Intestine channel continues as Stomach channel— they form the Great Meridian of Tai Yang, running in a continual way along the upper and lower limb.
 

As illustrated in the first strip of figures below, when we rotate left the head model with the channels drawn over, moving it from the lateral to the frontal aspect, we see how the Stomach channel (orange) is progressively climbed over by the Large Intestine channel (black), the two branches of which cross each other at the philtrum. This process is very similar to that of the cecum bud c) in the embryos development, which guiding the 270° counter-clockwise midgut rotation, crosses and overcomes d) that part of the primitive gut that later will become jejunum and ileum. The cecum eventually directs downward e) until to arrive at its anatomical definitive position in the right iliac fossa f).
 

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