216 DADDS VEIERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERI. 



from local inundation — the liver caves in from overwork, too mnvi. 

 food, and too little discretion. A hard pull on an omnibus, or a 

 similar feat in a marketer's wagon, would be the very best medi- 

 cine in the world for a plethoric horse, or one predisposed tn 

 hoj)atic derangement. 



The Pancreas and its Function. 



The pancreas is a glandular body lying across the spine, in the 

 rpigastric region, underneath the diaphragm, near the small curv- 

 ature of the stomach. The body of this gland is pierced by the 

 vena porta (known as the gate rein) ; has one attachment to the 

 spleen, and another to the left kidney. It is divided into head, 

 body, and tail. Structure, similar to salivary glands. Color, 

 pale red, speckled. It is composed of many lobules. Every lobp 

 has a distinct set of nerves, arteries, veins, and ducts. Every lobe 

 is, thereforcj considered as a distinct gland, and the same is true 

 of the salivary glands. The duct pierces the duodenum (known 

 as the second stomach), alongside of the hepatic duct. 



The pancreatic arteries are derived mostly from the hepatio. 

 Several, however, come from the splenic, in its course to the \et\ 

 side of tlie abdomen, and one or two from the gastric. The veins 

 are tributary to the vena porta. The nerves come from the cceliac 

 plexus. The fluid secreted by the pancreas is a colorless, limpi \ 

 fluid. It forms an emulsion of fat; hence it dissolves the fatty 

 matters of the food. It is an active agent in the preparation of 

 chyle. That the pancreatic juice possesses the property of emul- 

 sifving fat is proved from the fact that when the pancreas is 

 destroyed, and the animal fed on food containing fatty matter, the 

 latter passes with the feces, just like fat in an unchanged state. 



Mr. Gamgee says: "The pancreatic juice has another impor- 

 tant use which remains to be spoken of, and that is a peculiar 

 action on nitrogenlzcd substances. If raw meat be placed in 

 s<«n3 of the juice, the meat speedily softens and putrefies. The 

 same occurs with albumen or caseine in the raw state ; but if the 

 azotized principles are previously boiled, or acted ujion by the 

 gastric juice, the pancreatic therefore serves many purjioses, and 

 acts on every kind of aliment. 



Circumstances atiecting the digestive function in general have a 

 special influence on the pancreas, and modifj' its secretion. Such 



