THE PANCREAS. 157 



Fundus, touches the abdominal wall immediately below the gth costal 



cartilage, and is completely invested by peritoneum. 

 Neck, coils twice upon itself, and empties into the Cystic Duct, which is 



about an inch long, and joins with the Hepatic Duct to form the Ductus 



Communis Choledochus. 



What is the Ductus Communis Choledochus ? A fibro-muscular tube, 

 covered by peritoneum and lined with mucous membrane, about 3 inches in 

 length, formed by the junction of the Cystic and Hepatic ducts, and emptying 

 its contents (bile) into the descending part of the duodenum at a point about 

 3 inches from the pyloric orifice of the stomach, generally in common with 

 the duct of the pancreas. The three ducts above-named are often called the 

 Biliary Ducts. 



THE PANCREAS. 



Describe the Pancreas. The Pancreas is a racemose gland, about 7 

 inches long, of a grayish-white color, situated behind the stomach and in front 

 of the first lumbar vertebra. Its structure resembles that of the salivary 

 glands, being composed of reddish-yellow lobules, united by cellular tissue, 

 vessels and ducts, and ending in closed pouches surrounded by a capillary 

 plexus. The 



Pancreatic Duct, or Duct of Wirsung, 5 extends the whole length of the 

 gland, and opens into the FIG 6 



duodenum about 3 inches 

 below the pylorus, by an 

 orifice common to it and 

 the ductus communis chole- 

 dochus. 

 Head, or Right Extremity, 1 



is surrounded by the curve of the duodenum, the ductus communis chole- 

 dochus and the pancreatico-duodenal arteries. 

 Tail, or Left Extremity, 4 lies above the left kidney and in contact with 



the lower end of the spleen. 



Body 3 is in relation anteriorly with the ascending layer of the transverse 

 meso-colon, the posterior wall of the stomach and the transverse colon; 

 posteriorly with the aorta, portal vein, inferior vena cava, splenic vein, 

 origin of the superior mesenteric artery, crura of the diaphragm, left kid- 

 ney and supra-renal capsule, and the left quadratus lumborum muscle. 

 Arteries, are the 



Pancreatica Magna, and Pancreaticae Parvse, from the splenic. 



Pancreatico-duodenalis, branch of the hepatic artery. 



Inferior Pancreatico-duodenalis, branch of the sup. mesenteric. 



