UROGENITAL SYSTEM. 



Kidneys. These are bean-shaped and each is about four and 

 a half inches long, two inches wide, and one and a quarter thick, 

 and weighs about four and a half ounces. Each has two ends, 

 upper and lower, the latter being the more pointed ; two sur- 

 faces, anterior and posterior; and two borders, of which the 

 outer is convex while the inner is concave and presents an 

 opening (hilus) into the cavity (sinus) . A thin capsule covers 

 the kidney and lines the sinus. They lie in a mass of fat on the 

 muscles of the posterior wall, behind the peritoneum, close to 

 the -spine and in front of the last rib arid upper three lumbar 

 transverse processes on each side. Their long axes are some- 

 what oblique, the upper ends being approximated ; their lower 

 ends are an inch or two above the highest part of the iliac crest, 

 but the left kidney is usually higher than the right. The outer 

 border of each kidney lies in a plane posterior to the inner 

 border. [1130] 



Anterior Surface. Right kidney. On the upper part a 

 small area is in relation with the suprarenal body and is not 

 covered by peritoneum; below this, it is in contact with the 

 liver and covered by greater sac. The lower end is in relation 

 externally with the hepatic flexure, and internally with the de- 

 scending duodenum, being bound to them by the greater sac. 

 This surface presents three impressions; one (hepatic) over 

 the whole upper end ; another (colic) stretching from the most 

 prominent point to the lower end ; and a third (duodenal) on 

 the inner margin, below the hilus. Left kidney. The extreme 

 upper and inner part lies under the suprarenal and has no peri- 

 toneum. Below this is a small triangular area, lying under the 

 stomach and covered by lesser sac. Below this, around the 



[231] 



