ABDOMINAL CAVITY 281 



the lower margin of the anterior surface of the liver, at the 

 level of the ninth right costal cartilage, in the right lateral 

 plane, immediately to the right of the lateral border 

 of the right rectus abdominis muscle. From that point 

 the body of the organ runs upwards, backwards, and to 

 the left, to the right extremity of the porta hepatis, where its 

 constricted upper end, called the 

 neck t becomes continuous with the 

 cystic duct, which connects the gall- 

 bladder with the bile duct. The 

 upper and anterior surface of the 

 body of the gall-bladder is em- 

 bedded in a sulcus on the inferior 



surface of the right lobe of the liver, H EPAT.C^^ /;CYST. DUCT. 

 which is called \.}\Q fossa for the gall- DUCT - 

 bladder ; and it is attached to the 

 liver by areolar tissue and by a 

 number of small veins which pass 

 from the gall-bladder into the sub- FIG. 130. Diagram of the 

 stance of the liver, where they com- Cystic * nd " e P atic fi uc j s ; 



3 (From Gegenbaur, modified. ) 



municate with branches of the portal 



vein. The fundus and the lower or posterior surface are 

 covered with peritoneum, and the lower surface is in contact, 

 posteriorly and above, with the first and second parts of the 

 duodenum, and below with the transverse colon. 



The cystic duct is enclosed in the right extremity of the 

 upper border of the lesser omentum. 



Dissection. Make a longitudinal incision through the lower 

 surface of the gall-bladder from the fundus to the neck, and 

 examine the structure of its walls and its lining membrane. 

 In addition to its partial serous covering it has (i) a strong 

 coat composed of muscular and white fibrous tissue, and (2) 

 an internal mucous coat. The mucous membrane is stained 

 green by the bile, and it presents a honeycombed appearance, 

 being raised into numerous ridges which surround polygonal de- 

 pressions ; in the neck of the gall-bladder the ridges assume a 

 .spiral form and constitute the so-called spiral valve of Heister, 

 which is continued into the cystic duct. 



To obtain a satisfactory view of the lesser omentum and its 

 contents the left lobe of the liver must be removed. Cut through 

 it from before backwards, immediately to the left of the line of 

 attachment of the falciform ligament. On the lower surface 

 the knife must be carried backwards along the umbilical fossa, 

 close to its left margin, and it must emerge on the posterior 

 surface in the fossa for the ductus venosus and close to the left 

 margin of that fossa (see Fig. 131). 



