190 ANATOMY FOE, NURSES. [CHAP. XV. 



termed the cystic duct. The hepatic and cystic ducts together 

 form the common bile duct (ductus communis choledochus), 

 which runs downwards for about three inches (76 mm.) and 

 enters the duodenum at the same opening as the pancreatic 

 duct. 



The gall-bladder (vide Fig. 119) is a pear-shaped sac, lodged 

 in a depression on the under surface of the right lobe of the 

 liver. It is lined by columnar epithelium, and its walls are 

 formed of fibrous and muscular tissue. It is held in position 

 by the peritoneum, and serves as a reservoir for the bile. Dur- 

 ing digestion the bile is poured steadily into the intestine ; in 

 the intervals it is stored in the gall-bladder. 



To recapitulate : the digestive apparatus may be said to con- 

 sist of a tube and of important accessory organs placed in close 

 connection and communication with it. For convenience of 

 description, the tube may be divided into sections, each of which 

 is furnished with mechanical and chemical appliances for reduc- 

 ing the food into a soluble condition. First, the mouth cavity, 

 which is provided with muscular cheeks and movable jaw, 

 tongue, teeth, and the chemical solvent, saliva, secreted by the 

 salivary glands ; secondly, the two passages, the pharynx and 

 oesophagus, serving to convey the food into the next section, 

 the stomach, which is furnished with muscular walls for crush- 

 ing and churning the food, and with glands to secrete the acid 

 digestive solvent, the gastric juice ; thirdly, the small intestine, 

 supplied with bile and pancreatic juice, and with a highly 

 specialized mucous membrane adapted to both digestive and 

 absorptive purposes ; and lastly, the large intestine, having 

 feeble digestive properties, but serving to absorb all the nutri- 

 tious portion of the food still remaining, and to pass the residue 

 onwards to be finally thrown out of the body in the form of 

 feces. 



