1306 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION 



DESCENDING COLON 



end of the spleen; by its under surface, with the small intestines; by its anterior 

 surface, with the anterior layers of the greater omentum and the abdominal 



parietes; its posterior surface on the right side 

 is in relation with the second portion of the duo- 

 denum, and on the left side is in contact with 

 some of the convolutions of the jejunum and 

 ileum. 



The splenic flexure is in relation with the lower 

 end of the spleen and the tail of the pancreas. It 

 lies at a higher level than, and on a plane posterior 

 to, the hepatic flexure, and is attached to the Dia- 

 phragm opposite the tenth and eleventh ribs, by 

 a peritoneal fold, the phrenocolic ligament (see 

 p. 1265). 



The descending colon (colon descendens] passes 

 downward through the left hypochondriac and 

 lumbar regions along the outer border of the left 

 kidney. At the lower end of the kidney it turns 



w r 



FIG. 1048. Sigmoid colon and rectum, front view. The broken lines indicate the situation of the concealed part 

 of the sigmoid colon. The small intestine is drawn away, and the anus is turned forward. (Testut.) 



inward toward the outer border of the Psoas muscle, along which it descends to 

 the crest of the ilium, where it terminates in the sigmoid flexure. It is retained 



