FORM AND RELATIONS OF THE PANCREAS. 881 



diminution in the quantity of blood supplied to the liver after birth, this organ 

 appears at first to become absolutely lighter; and, according to some data, this 

 decrease of weight is not recovered from until the conclusion of the first year. After 

 that period, the liver, though it increases in size, grows more slowly than the body, 

 so that its relative weight in proportion to the body, which was 1 to 18 just before 

 birth, becomes gradually less and less. At about five or six years of age it has 

 reached the proportion maintained during the rest of life, viz. 1 to 36. 



The relative weight of the left lobe to that of the right (which, as above stated, is 

 about 1 to 1.6 immediately before birth) undergoes a subsequent diminution. Thus, 

 at a month old, it has been found to be as 1 to 3, and in after-life the proportion is 

 generally 1 to 4 or 5. 



THE PANCREAS. 



The pancreas is a long, narrow, flattened gland, larger at one end than 

 at the other, and lying deeply in the cavity of the abdomen, immediately 

 behind the stomach, and opposite the first lumbar vertebra. Its larger end, 

 the head, turned to the right, is embraced by the curvature of the duodenum, 

 whilst its left or narrow extremity, the tail, reaches to a somewhat higher 

 level, and is in contact with the spleen. It extends across the epigastric 

 into both hypochondriac regions. 



The right or large end of the pancreas is bent from above downwards, and 

 accurately fills the curvature of the duodenum, to which it is closely adhe- 

 rent. The lower extremity of this curved portion passes to the left, behind 



Fig. 618. 



Fig. 618. VIEW ov THE PANCREAS AND SURROUNDING ORGANS. 



In this figure, which is altered from Tiedemann, the liver and stomach are turned 

 upwards to show the duodenum, the pancreas, and the spleen : I, the under surface of 

 the liver ; g, gall-bladder ; /, the common bile-duct, formed by the union of the cystic 

 duct from the gall-bladder, and the hepatic duct coming from the liver ; o, the 

 cardiac end of the stomach, where the oesophagus enters ; , under surface of the 

 stomach ; p, pyloric end of the stomach ; d, duodenum ; h, head of the pancreas ; t, tail, 

 and i, body of that gland ; the substance of the pancreas is removed in front, to show the 

 pancreatic duct (e) and its branches ; r, the spleen ; v, the hilus, at which the blood- 

 vessels enter ; c, c, crura of the diaphragm ; n, superior mesenteric artery ; a, aorta. 



the superior mesenteric vessels, forming the posterior wall of a sort of 

 canal in which they are enclosed. This part of the gland is sometimes 

 marked off from the rest, and is then named the lesser pancreas. 



The pancreas varies considerably, in different cases, in its size and weight. It is 

 usually from 6 to 8 inches long, about 1^ inch in average breadth, and from half an 



3 M 



