142 THE ABDOMEN. 



allows great freedom of motion, so that there is little 

 fixation to the loops of the small intestines. 



The Small Intestine. The small intestine opens out of 

 the stomach and has three divisions: 1. the duodenum, 

 which is only about ten to twelve inches long; 2. the jeju- 

 num, so called because it is generally empty after death, 

 which is about two-fifths of the remainder and lies chiefly 

 in the umbilical region and the left iliac fossa, and 3. the 

 ileum or curved intsstine, the remaining three-fifths, which 

 gets its name from its numerous coils and which lies in 

 the middle and the right side of the abdomen. There is 

 no direct division between the jejunum and the ileum, but 

 the first part of the former and the last part of the latter 

 are quite different in character. At its entrance into the 

 large intestine the ileum is guarded by the ileo-cecal 

 valve. 



The same coats continue in the small intestine as were 

 found in the stomach, but they are here much thinner and 

 the inner coat is shaggy, like velvet, with innumerable 

 minute processes called mlli, which greatly 

 increase the absorbing surface. In fact, 

 the great length of the intestine as well as 

 the presence of the villi is aimed to pro- 

 vide a large surface to absorb the food as 

 it passes, an even greater increase of sur- 

 face being provided by the fact that the 

 tr^i 10 ' licteai-' e 2 intestinal wall is thrown into folds, the 

 capillary network! valvulce conniventes. Each villus is covered 



3, columnar cells. . ., , r> i ji T i n i 



with a layer of columnar epithelial cells and 

 has within connective tissue, in which are found a fine 

 capillary network and open lymph spaces from which 

 leads a single lacteal vessel. 



Closely connected with the lymphatic vessels are the 

 solitary glands, small round bodies the size of a small pin's 

 head. Peyer's glands or patches are patches of solitary 

 glands opposite the mesenteric attachment and are 

 largest and most numerous in the ileum. In typhoid 

 fever they are involved and may become the seat of 



