CHAPTER XI 

 THE ABDOMEN AND ITS CONTENTS 



Method: Continue the lateroventral incision through the 

 abdominal wall to the pelvis. If the abdominal cavity is badly 

 messed up with extravasated blood or injection mass it will be 

 necessary to wash this material out with a stream of water. 

 It is a good plan to attach a piece of rubber tubing to a faucet 

 and, under the instructor's direction, invert the rabbit over 

 the sink and wash it out with a fairly strong stream of water. 

 Warm water, not hot enough to be uncomfortable to the hand, 

 is better than cold, for it is less conductive to mold forming on 

 the specimen. Since great care must be exercised to prevent 

 dislodging the viscera and thus making it impractical to study 

 the organs in situ it is best, if practical, to postpone washing 

 out the extravasated material until the abdominal organs 

 have been identified as directed below. Do not mutilate, or 

 drastically disturb, the abdominal organs at this time, for they 

 are to be studied in detail later in connection with the arteries 

 and with the digestive tract. Especial attention should be 

 paid to the following organs and their in situ relations at this 

 time: 



Liver: A large reddish-brown organ covering the cranio- 

 ventral region of the stomach and occupying most of the 

 concave region of the diaphragm. 



Stomach : Gently Hft the caudal margin of the Hver to see 

 the stomach, which when filled, is a very large sac. 



Spleen: A long, narrow, dark-red organ lying along the 

 laterocaudal margin of the stomach. Note its attachments. 



Cecum : The colic portion of the cecum is folded upon itself 

 three or four times and as a mass of large, thin-walled intestine 

 it occupies most of the superficial lateral portion of the latero- 



