Brunner's Glands 1679 – A Smooth Transition from the Stomach to the Intestine

The small intestines have fascinated people ever since they saw intestines spill onto ancient battlefields like writhing nests of snakes. In ancient Mediterranean cultures that practiced divination by reading animal entrails, the intestines sometimes represented the complex movements of the planets. Diviners would count the number of major turns. An even number of twists was good; an odd number, bad. Spanish physician Andrés Laguna wrote poetically in 1535: "Indeed, the intestines are rightly called ships, since they carry the entire region of the stomach and all the excrement as though passing across an ocean."

The duodenum, the first part of the small intestine, is particularly fascinating because of its varied functions, structures, and place in the history of anatomy. Swiss pathologist Johann Wepfer first discovered the duodenal glands in 1679, but unfortunately they are now called Brunner's glands after his son-in-law Johann Brunner's description in 1687.

Brunner's glands secrete a mucus-rich alkaline fluid containing bicarbonate that protects the duodenum from the acidic contents of the stomach. These glands also lubricate the intestinal walls and provide a more alkaline environment in which intestinal enzymes can be active. When the duodenum contains partially digested food expelled by the stomach, it also produces the hormones secretin and cholecystokinin, which trigger the liver and gallbladder to release bile and the pancreas to release its enzymes.

The duodenal wall also contains three important features. The ampulla of Vater is formed by the junction of the pancreatic duct and the common bile duct (from the liver) and is named after German anatomist Abraham Vater. The sphincter of Oddi is a muscular valve that controls the flow of digestive fluids (bile and pancreatic juice) through the ampulla of Vater. This valve is named after Italian anatomist Ruggero Oddi, whose drug use caused him to become mentally unstable. The ligament of Treitz connects the duodenum to the diaphragm and is named after Czech pathologist Václav Treitz, who died by suicide after taking potassium cyanide.

You can use our video below to learn about the anatomy of this region:

Description of the article image: A visualization of the stomach (center) attached to the duodenum, the yellow-orange tube beginning below the stomach (on the left in the visualization). The duodenum has various functions and structures and contains Brunner's glands.

Historical figures mentioned in the article: Andrés Laguna de Segovia (1499–1559), Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620–1695), Johann Conrad Brunner (1653–1727), Abraham Vater (1684–1751), Václav Treitz (1819–1872), Ruggero Oddi (1864–1913)

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