[The system of blood vessels of the small intestine of ruminants (author's transl)].

The vascular system of the small intestine of sheep, goat, and the bovine was investigated by means of corrosion preparations as well as by light and electron microscopic methods. The jejunal villi are shown to contain a single--in the case of broad villi several--centrally placed arterioles. The arterioles show no ramification, they drain into subepithelial capillaries at the apex of the villus. The subepithelial capillaries are not furnished with precapillarious sphincters. In the lower third of the villi several capillaries fuse together, forming a centrally located venule which in turn passes through the base of the villus and--still above the Tunica muscularis mucosae--opens into a transverse running vein. 2 or more of these transverse running veins join together forming a short vascular trunk which opens into collecting veins of the submucosa. Special sphincters of the peripherous blood vessels of the small intestine like arteriovenous marginal loops, arteriovenous anastomoses of the submucosa, vascular sphincters of the muscularis mucosae or veins which are well known in the literature were not found in domestic ruminants.