AUSTRALIAN PHALANGITES. 



It is for the most part a mobile organ, being freely in- 

 vested with peritoneum, in contrast with the limited in- 

 vestment of the human liver, in which the peritoneum, 

 apart from the fundus, invests the under surface and 

 sides only. Its dorsal extremity is invested on the sides 

 and ventral surfaces only, being attached above to the 

 hepatic substance. In Pseudochirus lateral bands are 

 noted connecting this dorsal portion with the liver, 



Cystic Duct. — This lies in a groove between the small 

 right portion of the cystic lobe and the projection on the 

 right side of the intermediate portion — the result of an 

 accommodation effect for the gall bladder. It measures 

 1.25 em. long, but in Pseudochirus is rarely longer than 

 1 cm. At the portal interval or fissure it is joined by the 

 hepatic ducts and becomes the common duct. 



Hepatic Ducts. — On the left side a single trunk is 

 noted, formed by the junction of two main divisions, the 

 smaller for the left and intermediate cystic or mesial 

 lobes, and the larger from the left lateral lobe. On the 

 right side a small branch from the right cystic joins the 

 larger branch from the right lateral, close to the junction 

 of the latter with the cystic duct. 



The Common Bile Duct. --This passes down between 

 the spigelian and caudate lobes, with the hepatic artery 

 and portal vein (the vein being placed dorsally) lying at 

 first in the right extremity of the lesser omentum, and 

 forming part of the ventral boundary of the Foramen of 

 Winslow. This foramen serves to define the right ex- 

 tremity of the lesser omentum from the meso-duodenum, 

 since the duodenum itself is not fixed. The duct ter- 

 minates in the duodenum about 5 cm. from the pyloric 

 opening, and measures 4.5 to 6 cm. in length. The pan- 

 creatic duct, which is traced in the pancreatic tissue as far 

 ji 114 



