324 ANATOMY IN A NUTSHELL. 



The nerves and lymphatics differ in no particular from those of the small 

 intestine. 



The rectum (intestinum rectum) extends from the sacro-iliac joint to the 

 amis. It better deserves the name rectum (straight,) when we say it begins at 

 the front of the third sacral vertebra, for then it is nearer straight. It has the 

 same four coats that the intestine has. Its walls are thicker than those of the 

 colon. The muscular coat and mucous coat differ from those of the outer por- 

 tions of the canal. The peritoneum of the upper part of the rectum is thrown 

 into folds called appendices epiploic®. There are three semilunar transverse 

 folds, one in the upper part of the rectum on the right side, another about the 

 middle on the left side, and a third in front, opposite the base of the bladder. 

 They are called the folds of Houston. 



The muscles of the rectum are the Sphincter ani, Internal sphincter, and 

 Sphincter tertius of Hyrtl. The rectum is supported by proper duplications of 

 peritoneum, the meso-rectum, and other fasciae. 



Liver. 



The Liver (Plate CLIII) is the largest gland in the body, in the fetus it forms 

 about one-third of its weight, and in the adult about one-thirty-sixth. It is 

 situated in the right hypochondriac and epigastric regions and may extend over 

 into the left hypochondriac region. It has three surfaces, viz., anterior, pos- 

 terior, and inferior. It has three borders, viz., superior, inferior, and posterior; 

 and two extremities. It is entirely covered with peritoneum. 



It has in relation with it, (Plate CLII) above, the Diaphragm and anterior 

 abdominal wall; BELOw,the cardiac end of the stomach, hepatic flexure of colon, 

 right kidney, and first and second portions of the duodenum; behind, the tenth 

 and eleventh thoracic vertebra?, crura of Diaphragm,lower end of the oesophagus, 

 right suprarental capsule, and great vessels. 



It has five lobes, (Plate CLXII) five fissures, five vessels, and five ligaments, 

 Its lobes are the right, left, caudate, quadrate, and Spigelian. The ligaments 

 are the coronary, the right and left lateral or triangular, the suspensory, broad 

 or falciform, and the round ligament. The round ligament is the remains of 

 the umbilical vein; all the other ligaments are folds of peritoneum. The ves- 

 sels are the hepatic artery, hepatic veins, the bile ducts, lymphatic vessels, 

 and the portal vein which breaks up into capillaries like an artery. Its fissures 

 are the transverse, fissure for the gall-bladder, fissure for the inferior vena cava, 

 ductus venosus, and the umbilical fissure. 



The liver is made up of lobules which are about one-twelfth of an inch in 

 diameter. The liver has various functions — it manufactures bile and sugar 

 and has other metabolic functions. It is nourished by the hepatic artery which 

 carries food to the cells and by the portal vein which carries raw material to be 

 worked over by the cells. 



The nerve supply to the liver is from the hepatic plexus, which is an offset 

 from the coeliac plexus and receives filaments from the left pneumogastric and 

 righl phrenic. 



The portal veins may be told from the hepatic as the portal veins remain 



