DISSECTION OF THE ABDOMEN. 329 



peritoneum ; its inner border is margined by the posterior vena cava, 

 and is in contact with the right suprarenal body in front of the 

 hilus (sometimes behind) ; its outer border is in contact with the 

 duodenum ; its anterior extremity is in contact with the right lobe 

 of the liver (which is slightly depressed for it) and with the lobulus 

 caudatus, and to the latter a small fold of peritoneum passes from 

 the lower face of the kidney. 



The left kidney has the same relations on its upper face as the right ; 

 its lower face is covered by peritoneum, and is related to the small 

 intestines ; its inner border is margined by the aorta, and is related to 

 the left suprarenal body in front of the hilus ; its anterior extremity is 

 related to the left extremity of the pancreas ; and the anterior half of 

 its outer or convex border is related to the base of the spleen. 



Renal Arteries. Each kidney receives blood from a large vessel — 

 the renal artery — which is a branch of the aorta. Springing at a right 

 angle from the parent trunk, the artery passes towards the hilus, 

 where it divides into a number of branches that penetrate the kidney 

 substance. The left artery is short, and passes directly to the hilus ; 

 the right is longer, and passes between the psoas parvus muscle and 

 the vena cava to reach its destination. It is also generally a little 

 anterior to the left in its point of detachment, both being a little 

 behind the trunk of the anterior mesenteric artery. 



The Renal Veins are as large in proportion as the arteries. They 

 join the posterior vena cava, the right vein being the shorter and 

 passing directly from the hilus, while the left crosses the lower face of 

 the aorta behind the anterior mesenteric artery. 



The Renal Plexus of nerves interlace around the artery, and enter 

 the kidney with its branches. 



The Suprarenal Bodies (Plates 44 and 47). These are two small 

 solid bodies found in close relation to the kidneys, the right being 

 between the vena cava and the inner border of the right kidney, and 

 the left between the aorta and left kidney. They have an irregular 

 elongated shape, and a slatey-brown colour. They are highly vascular, 

 receiving branches from the mesenteric or renal arteries, and having 

 veins that enter the posterior vena cava or the renal veins. They have 

 also a rich nervous supply, receiving the suprarenal plexus — an offset 

 from the solar plexus. Their substance consists of a cortical and a 

 medullary portion. Each possesses a fibrous capsule continuous with 

 an internal trabecular framework. In the cortex the interspaces of 

 these trabecule contain epithelial cells ; the medulla contains the 

 so-called chromaphil cells, which are probably derived from the 

 sympathetic nervous system. They are without ducts, and their 

 function is not well known. 



The Ureters. The ureter is the tube which conveys the urine from 

 the pelvis of the kidney to the urinary bladder. On the left side it has 



