490 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



tudinal fissure. This fissure consists of two parts ; the 

 anterior (the umbilical), in which the umbilical vein lies ; 

 and the posterior for the ductus venosus, a venous trunk 

 which joins the umbilical vein to the vena cava (by way of 

 a hepatic vein). These veins are fcetal structures. The 

 gall bladder occupies a shallow hollow the fissure of the 

 gall bladder. Between the fissures for the umbilical vein 

 and the gall bladder, is the quadrate lobe, bounded behind 

 by the transverse fissure and in front by the anterior 

 border of the liver. The quadrate lobe is often connected 

 to the left over the umbilical fissure forming the pons 

 hepatis. 



The lower surface of the liver shows several slight de- 

 pressions produced by contact with the various abdominal 

 organs beneath it ; these are called impressions. They are 

 for the stomach, hepatic flexure, duodenum, and right 

 kidney. 



(3) The posterior surface is poorly marked. It may be 

 defined as that part of the liver behind the transverse 

 fissure. It is deeply concave from side to side to accom- 

 modate the spine and crura of diaphragm. It contains a 

 vertical gutter in which lies the vena cava inferior, and 

 called the fissure for the vena cava. At the left of the 

 vena cava is the Spigelian lobe, separated from the left 

 lobe by the fissure for the ductus venosus. 



The Spigelian lobe is connected with the right by a 

 slender tongue or ridge of liver substance known as the 

 caudate lobe. 



It will be seen that the fissures of the liver can be ar- 

 ranged like the letter " H." The right leg is made up of 

 the fissures for the gall bladder and vena cava, the left by 

 the umbilical and fissure of the ductus venosus, the cross 

 bar is the transverse fissure. 



