THE PANCREAS. 239 



Hepatic duct. — In the glandular capillaries some great 

 change goes on, by which a fluid substance is separated 

 from the blood. The biliary pores appear to end in small 

 tubes, which unite to form the hepatic duct ; or, in anato- 

 mical language, the pori biliari end in the tubuli biliari, 

 which, by their union, form the ductus hepaticus. As it 

 parts from the liver, it accompanies the hepatic artery, and 

 passing below the vena portarum, it terminates in the duo- 

 denum, about five inches from the pylorus. The liver of 

 the horse, has no gall-bladder ; whence the bile has been 

 thought to be constantly flowing into the small intestines ; 

 when the animal lives off" grass, and is feeding the major 

 portion of his time, it may be all very well to suppose the 

 constant supply of food requires a constant supply of the 

 hepatic juice ; but what becomes of this theory of a con- 

 tinuous flow with the horse that is manger-fed, with whom 

 eating is a very brief affair ; may not the bile be stimulated 

 by the motion of the stomach and intestines, as the saliva 

 is by that of the jaws ; and when food is not present either 

 not be secreted or stored up within the biliary ducts, and 

 within the dilatation commonly observed near to the termi- 

 nation of the main duct ? The foregoing is merely suggested, 

 not by any means insisted upon. 



THE PANCREAS. 



The pancreas is a conglomerate gland, of a very irregular 

 figure, lengthened out into three processes, which extend it 

 across the spine, between the stomach and left kidney. Its 

 superior surface is applied to the roof of the abdomen, and 

 its inferior to the great curvature of the stomach ; it is also 

 connected with the omentum, liver, spleen, and duodenum. 

 From its substance small tubuli collect into one common 

 duct, which penetrates the duodenum, sometimes imme- 

 diately wath, and sometimes distinct from, the biliary duct. 

 Its use has not yet been satisfactorily explained, but it is 

 very like a salivary gland in structure ; in which particular 

 it also resembles the thymus gland, butchers being in the 

 habit of selling this last-named gland and the pancreas, in- 

 discriminately, as sweetbreads. 



