DISSECTING MANUAL. 



THE DUCTLESS GLANDS. 



Spleen. This is an irregular tetrahedron, somewhat pur- 

 ple, five inches long and three wide at the widest; it lies to the 

 left of and behind the stomach, its long axis almost corre- 

 sponding to that of the back part of the tenth rib. Its upper 

 end (apex) is somewhat curved and points inward and back- 

 ward. The most extensive surface (diaphragmatic), looking 

 backward and outward, rests on the diaphragm over the ninth, 

 tenth, and eleventh ribs. The visceral aspect presents three 

 surfaces (gastric, renal, and basal) , which are separated by three 

 ridges radiating from a blunt prominence (internal basal angle) 

 respectively upward (margo intermedius) to the apex, back- 

 ward to the posterior basal angle, and forward to the promi- 

 nent anterior basal angle. [1210] 



The gastric surface is large and concave and lies along the 

 anterior border; it presents, an inch or so in front of the margo 

 intermedius, a slit (hilus) for the entrance of vessels and 

 nerves; between the hilus and internal basal angle is a de- 

 pression for the tail of the pancreas. The renal surface is flat 

 and even, lies along the posterior border, and is applied to the 

 front of the kidney antero-superiorly. The basal surface is the 

 smallest and triangular; it looks downward and inward and 

 touches the splenic flexure and costo-colic ligament. [1211] 



The anterior border is sharp, prominent, and notched. The 

 posterior border practically lies along the last intercostal space. 

 The other border is the inferior. Peritoneum almost com- 

 pletely covers the spleen and passes from it, near the hilus, in 

 two folds; one fold (lieno-renal ligament) passes to the front 

 of the left kidney and the other (gastro-splenic omentum) to 

 the fundus of the stomach. [1212] 



Structure. It is very vascular and, besides an outer serous 

 coat, has a strong fibrous capsule (tunica propria) from whose 

 deep surface processes (trabeculse) run inward to form a sup- 

 porting network. This network is filled with the spleen pulp, 



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