DISTRIBUTION OF THE ARTERIES. 119 



nothing more than the common root of the splenic, gastric, 

 and hepatic — arteries that in some instances have separate 

 origins. 



The splenic artery, after passing between the stomach and 

 spleen, ends in the left gastric artery. In its course it gives 

 off several branches to the pancreas, called pancreatic ar- 

 teries. 



The gastric artery, the smallest of the coeliac divisions, 

 runs forward to the small curvature of the stomach, between 

 the layers of the omentum, branching, before it reaches this 

 organ, into two vessels, called inferior and superior gastric, 

 which finally ramify upon the upper and under surface of the 

 stomach. 



The hepatic artery, the largest of the coeliac division, pro- 

 ceeds before the pancreas to the right side of the cavity, and 

 passes over the pyloric end of the stomach, and gives off 

 small branches to the pancreas. Near the pylorus, it sends a 

 branch to the duodenum, which, as soon as it reaches the 

 intestine, divides : one division — the duodenal — retrogrades 

 along the gut, and ends in anastomosis, with branches com- 

 ing from the anterior mesenteric ; the other — the right gas- 

 tric — crosses the gut, proceeds to the great curvature of the 

 stomach, where it inosculates with the left gastric. The 

 hepatic artery itself is continued forward to the porta of the 

 liver, where it divides into the right and left hepatic ; the 

 right, — the larger and shorter one, — after giving off a con- 

 siderable branch to the portio media, turns back to reach the 

 right lobe ; the left, after giving off a branch or two to the 

 middle portion, penetrates the left lobe. 



The anterior, or great mesenteric, is the next vessel to 

 the coeliac, and arises from the under part of the posterior aor- 

 ta. From its origin, it passes downward within the layers of 

 the mesentery, detaching some small twigs to the pancreas; 

 it then separates into larger vessels, (commonly from eight to 

 twelve in number,) from which are derived a branch that 

 runs to the duodenum ; several other branches encircle and 

 ramify on and around the intestines. 



