178 ANATOMY OF THE ABDOMEN, ETC. 



branches, the gastric, hepatic, and splenic. Each of the* 

 branches conveys the plexus of nerves destined for the 

 organ to which it is distributed, and it may be seen si 

 rounding the artery as a sort of sheath. The coeliac axis 

 may be wanting, its branches originating directly from the 

 aorta ; or it may give off but two branches, the gastrk 

 and the splenic, the hepatic coming from some other source, 

 as, for instance, the superior mesenteric or the aorta. 



The gastric artery is distributed to the smaller curvature of the 

 stomach; it joins it near the oesophagus, to which it gives some 

 ascending branches, while others pass round the cardiac extremity 

 to join the vasa brevia of the splenic artery; its terminal branch 

 unites with the pyloric branch of the hepatic. 



The hepatic artery curves up toward the liver, and is in close relation 

 with the hepatic duct and portal vein ; near the pylorus it gives off a 

 pyloric branch to the lesser curvature of the stomach, where it inoscu- 

 lates with the gastric, and also the gastro-duodenalis, which supplies 

 the stomach and duodenum ; the gastro-duodenalis divides into the 

 qastro-epiploica dextra, which is distributed to the larger curvature of 

 the stomach and anastomoses with the splenic, and into the pancrea- 

 tico-duodenalis, supplying the duodenum and pancreas, and anasto- 

 mosing with the superior mesenteric. The hepatic at its termination 

 divides into two branches which enter the transverse fissure of the 

 liver and separate to its right and left lobes. A small branch, the 

 cystic, is given off by one of these to the gall-bladder. Accessory 

 hepatic arteries are frequently found, usually coming from the gastric 

 artery. 



The splenic artery is the largest branch of the coeliac axis ; it sup- 

 plies the spleen, pancreas, and stomach ; it passes outward in a tortu- 

 ous manner, behind the pancreas, and divides into numerous terminal 

 branches which penetrate the hilus of the spleen; the splenic vein is 

 in close relationship with it. It reflects several small branches to the 

 great end of the stomach which are called vasa brevia, and a single 

 large branch passes along the greater curvature of the stomach, under 

 the name of gastro-epiploica sinistra, anastomosing with a branch from 

 the hepatic. Numerous small twigs are given off to the pancreas. 



The SUPERIOR MESENTERIC ARTERY arises from the front 

 of the aorta just below the coeliac axis, sometimes in con- 

 nection with that trunk. A portion of this artery at its 

 commencement is covered in by the pancreas, to which it 

 sends a small branch; it divides into numerous branches, 

 which, placed parallel to each other, descend between the 

 two layers of the mesentery, and then by a series of vas- 

 cular arches, rarely if ever exceeding three in number, 

 supplies the small intestine from the duodenum to its ter- 

 mination in the colon ; these arches anastomose so freely 

 with each other, that the circulation at any one point can 

 never be interrupted by the compression of the intestinal 



