ABSORBENTS OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 301 



The Superficial Absorbents of the under surface of the liver 

 present, also, diversities, but they are seldom arranged into so 

 many divisions as those of the upper surface. They communi- 

 cate freely with the latter, and also with the profound, jmd, 

 finally, assembling in the transverse fissure, they descend along 

 the capsule of Glisson to join and anastomose with the contigu- 

 ous trunks from the alimentary canal, from the pancreas, and the 

 spleen. 



The Deep Absorbents of the liver follow the branching of the 

 vena portarum, and, emerging at the transverse fissure, pass 

 through the glands in the capsule of Glisson, associating them- 

 selves at the same time with the superficial trunks, and having 

 a common termination with them. By putting a ligature around 

 the vena portarum of a living animal, many of them are in- 

 cluded in it ; they then become exceedingly turgid, and are seen 

 to diverge through the liver like the pori biliarii. 



The liver is said to be more abundantly furnished with absor- 

 bents than any other viscus. 



The Absorbents of the spleen are also superficial and deep- 

 seated. The former are between the peritoneal and the proper 

 coat, and are injected with some difficulty in the human sub- 

 ject, but are very demonstrable and numerous in the calf. 

 The latter emerge at the fissure of the spleen, and, traversing 

 the glands that lie along the course of the splenic artery, re- 

 ceive successively the absorbents from the pancreas. They, 

 finally, end in the thoracic duct, after reciprocal junctions, and 

 anastomose with the vessels from the stomach and liver. 



The Absorbents of the Pancreas are also numerous, and may 

 be injected, contrary to their circulation, from those of the liver. 

 They arise from the substance of the pancreas, like its vessels, 

 by short trunks, which join those of the Splenic Plexus at right 

 angles. 



The Absorbents of the Kidneys are superficial and deep; the 

 former, though numerous, are too small in the healthy state of 

 these organs to be well seen, but they become very distinct 

 from disease, and converge from its periphery to its fissure. 



VOL. II. 27 



