248 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



through every part of the liver. During the passage 

 of the blood through the liver, a fluid is separated 

 from it, which is called the bile. This is carried by 

 the gall-duct, /, into the duodenum, m, in such 

 quantities as are required for aiding digestion. The 

 horse has no gall-bladder, and, consequently, the 

 bile flows into the duodenum, or first intestine, w, 

 immediately after it is separated from the blood. 

 As we have already mentioned, the stomach of the 

 horse is small in proportion to the quantity of food 

 which he must consume, and consequently must be 

 much oftener emptied ; and hence the necessity for 

 uninterrupted flow of bile to aid the process of 

 digestion. 



The diseases connected with the liver are in- 

 flammation and jaundice, treated of at page 69. 



THE OMENTUM, OR CAUL. 



This is a doubling of the peritoneum, investing 

 the lower portion of the stomach, to the great 

 curvature of which, and to that portion of the colon 

 which crosses the spine to form the sigmoid flexure, 

 or last turn, it is attached. The omentum is small 

 in the horse, and seldom contains much adipose 

 matter. It is situated between the intestines and 

 walls of the abdomen, to prevent concussion and 

 injury during rapid movements of the horse. See 

 fig. 2, c. 



THE SPLEEN. 



This is situated on the left side of the stomach, 

 fig. 2, e, and between it and the short ribs, with the 

 hinder cartilages of which its maro-in beneath cor- 

 responds, so that if the belly were pierced from the 

 left side posteriorly to the last rib, this organ would 



