THE SPLEEN. 



1781 



ACCESSORY ORGANS OF NUTRITION. 



In this group may be included the spleen, the thyroid body, the parathyroids, the 

 thymus body, the suprarenal capsules, and the anterior lobe of the pituitary body. 



These are sometimes called the ' ' ductless glands, ' ' but, as several of them are cer- 

 tainly not glands, the name is unfortunate. To certain members of the above group, 

 as the thyroid and suprarenal bodies, the designation "organs of internal secretion" 

 may appropriately be applied. Considered morphologically, they do not belong to 

 any one system ; but on the whole it may be said without grave error that they are 

 concerned in nutrition, and that disease of several of them manifests itself by certain 

 tolerably well-defined symptoms indicating a serious disturbance of nutrition, differ- 

 ing according to the organ involved. 



THE SPLEEN. 



The spleen is essentially a lymphatic organ. It is of a purplish color and of 

 very friable structure, and is situated in the left hypochondrium behind the stomach. 

 The weight is excessively variable, changing with the state of digestion, and liable 

 to immense increase in certain diseases, as well as to slighter modifications in others. 

 Sappey gives the average weight in ten men as 195 gm. (approximately 7 oz. ). 

 The specific gravity is variously stated between 1037 and 1060. The length accord- 

 ing to Sappey, in the same ten men was 12.3 cm. (4^6 in.). 



FIG 1503. 



Posterior border 



Intermediate bord 



Renal surface 



Splenic artery 



Splenic vein 



Internal basal angle 



Gastric surface 



I Anterior border, notched 



-Cut peritoneum 

 surrounding hilum 



Anterior basal angle 



Posterior basal angle^ '^^fSSHfff^f r ~~"~ Basal surface 



Visceral aspect of spleen hardened in situ. 



The shape of this delicate organ can be correctly understood only after meth- 

 ods of hardening in situ. It depends so essentially on the neighboring viscera 

 that what may be the most usual arrangement of several details still remains to be 

 determined. We follow Cunningham in describing a triangular basal surface at the 

 lower end, although it is by no means always to be recognized. Besides this there are 

 three distinct surfaces, the phrenic, the renal, and the gastric, all of which meet 

 at a rounded point at the top of the organ. 



The phrenic surface is convex. It is the largest and gives the general out- 

 line of the organ. It lies against the diaphragm in the left hypochondrium. The 



