I/O 



THE VITAL PROCESSES 



the liver. As the liver is filled with blood, neither it nor its connecting 

 blood vessels should be cut at this time. 



4. Trace out the continuity of the canal. Find the esophagus where 

 it penetrates the diaphragm and joins the stomach. Find next the 

 union of the stomach with the small intestine. Then, by carefully fol- 

 lowing the coils of the small intestine, discover its union with the large 

 intestine. 



5. Within the first coil of the small intestine, as it leaves the stomach, 

 find the pancreas. Note its color, size, and branches. Find its con- 

 nection with the small intestine. 



6. Beginning at the cut portion of the abdominal wall, lift the thin 

 lining of the peritoneum and carefully follow it toward the back and 

 central portion of the abdomen. Observe whether it extends back 

 of or in front of the kidneys, the aorta, and the inferior vena cava. 

 Find where it leaves the wall as a double membrane, the mesentery, 

 which surrounds and holds in place the large and small intestines. 

 Sketch a coil of the intestine, showing the mesentery. 



7. Find in the center of the -coils of small intestine a long, slender 

 body having the appearance of a gland. This is the beginning of the 

 thoracic duct and is called the receptacle of the chyle. From this the 

 thoracic duct rapidly narrows until it forms a tiny tube difficult to trace 

 in a small animal. 



8. Cut away about two inches of the small intestine from the 

 remainder, having first tied the tube on the two sides of the section re- 

 moved. Split it open for a part of its length, and wash out its contents. 

 Observe its coats. Place it in a shallow vessel containing water, and 

 examine the mucous membrane with a lens to find the villi. Make a 

 drawing of this section, showing the coats. 



9. Study the connection of the small intestine with the large. Split 

 them open at the place of union, wash out the contents, and examine 

 the ileo-caecal valve. 



10. Observe the size, shape, and position of the kidneys. Do they 

 lie in front of or back of the peritoneum ? Do they lie exactly opposite 

 each other ? Note the connection of each kidney with the aorta and 

 the inferior vena cava by the renal artery and the renal vein. Find a 

 slender tube, the ureter, running from each kidney to the bladder. Do 

 the ureters connect with the top or with the base of the bladder ? Show 

 by a sketch the connection of the kidneys with the large blood vessels 

 and the bladder. 



