ALIMENTARY CANAL AND ITS APPENDAGES 415 



toward the periphery where it enters small bile-ducts, and so is 

 carried toward the great outlet of the gland, the hepatic duct. 



The Pancreas or Sweetbread. This is an elongated soft organ of 

 a pinkish-yellow color, lying along the great curvature of the 

 stomach. Its right end is the larger, and is embraced by the 

 duodenum (Fig. 135), which 

 there makes a curve to the 

 left. A duct traverses the 

 gland and joins the com- 

 mon bile-duct close to its 

 intestinal opening. The 

 pancreas produces a 

 watery-looking secretion 

 which is of great import- 

 ance in digestion; the gland 

 also secretes a hormone 

 which exerts an important 

 influence on the general 

 nutritional processes of the 

 Body (Chap. XXX). 



The Spleen (L, Fig. 135) 

 is situated at the left end of 

 the stomach. It is a rather 

 large organ about 15 cm. 

 (6 in.) long and 10 cm. 

 (4 in.) wide, and weighs 

 about 170 grams (6 oz.). 



The Spleen is enclosed in FIG. 136. Diagram of abdominal part of alimen- 



i , tary canal. C, the cardiac, and P, the pyloric end 



an elastic COnnectlve-tlSSUe O f the stomach; D, the du 9 denum; J, /, the conyc- 



1 t ~ ,,V.:VU^ lutions of the small intestine; CC, the caecum with 



CapSUle, irom Wmcn bands the vermiform appendix; AC, ascending, TC, trans- 



Of Connective tissue, the verse, and DC, descending colon;*, the r, 



trabeculce, extend throughout the organ, branching and interlacing 

 to form a spongy network. The spaces within this network are oc- 

 cupied by adenoid tissue (see p. 346) , together with many white and 

 red blood-corpuscles, the whole mass being called the spleen-pulp. 

 The capillaries of the spleen, instead of being continuous from 

 arteries to veins as in most parts of the body, open into the spleen 

 pulp in such fashion that the blood pours directly into and 

 through it. 



