100 ANATOMY OF THE RAT 



duodenum, to which it sends branches. The right gastro- 

 epiploic and superior pancreatico-duodenal arteries may 

 arise from the hepatic artery by a short gastra-duodenal 

 artery. Still another branch supplies the pancreas. After 

 giving off the above vessels, the hepatic artery passes an- 

 teriorly and breaks up into several branches which enter 

 the liver. The left gastric artery runs to the lesser curva- 

 ture of the stomach. A large terminal branch supplies 

 the dorsal surface of the stomach, another goes to the 

 ventral surface of this organ. Small vessels are given off 

 to the esophagus. A small branch traverses, to the right, 

 the lesser curvature of the stomach, and anastomoses with 

 the right gastric artery, as previously mentioned. Deter- 

 mine the variability of the branches of the coeliac. 



The superior mesenteric artery leaves the dorsal aorta 

 a short distance posterior to the coeliac in the region of 

 the renal arteries. It sends numerous branches through 

 the mesenteries to all the divisions of the small intestine, 

 to the caecum, and the colon. The branch to the colon 

 joins the inferior mesenteric artery. 



The two large renal arteries carry blood from the dorsal 

 aorta to the kidneys. The right renal supplies the right 

 kidney, the left renal the left kidney. Each renal artery 

 gives off anteriorly a suprarenal artery to the suprarenal 

 gland on the same side. 



The two spermatic arteries of the male rat leave the dor- 

 sal aorta a short distance caudad to the renals and course 

 posteriorly along the dorsal surface of the abdominal cav- 

 ity. The right spermatic finally enters the right testis, the 

 left spermatic artery the left testis. Expose each artery 

 throughout its length. The two ovarian arteries of the 

 female similarly supply the ovaries. They correspond in 

 position to the spermatic arteries of the male. Each ova- 

 rian artery anastomoses with the uterine artery, which runs 



