THE LIVER 983 



^\'insl()\v. At tlu; actual lis.^untlir order of tlic tl)nc structuros from before back- 

 wards is — duct, artery, vein. 



The hepatic veins, l»y which the hloocl of the liver passes into the inferior vena 

 cava, open by several larj^e and small openings into that vessel at the posterior 

 surfaces of the irland at the liottom of the fossa of the vena cava. 



Lymphatics. — The lymi>hatics are divided into a deep and a sui)erfi(ial set. 

 The deep .set run with the branches of the portal vein, artery, and duct through the 

 liver, leaving at the transverse fissure, where they join the vessels of the super- 

 ficial set. 



The superficial set begin in tlie subperitoneal tissue. Those of the upper surface 

 consist: — (1) Of vessels which jiass U]), i)rincipally, in the broad ligament and 

 right and left lateral ligaments, through the diai)hragm, and so into the anterior 

 mediastinal glands; occasionally lynii)hatics of tlie right ligament pass straiglit 

 into the thoracic duct. (2) Of a set passing over the anterior Ijorder of the liver 

 to the glands in the small omentum al)OUt the transverse fissure. 



On the under surface, the lymphatics to the right of the gall bladder enter the 

 lumbar glands. 



Those round the gall bladder enter the glands of the lesser omentum. 



Those to the left of the gall bladder enter the glands of the oesophagus and lesser 

 curvature of the stomach. 



Fig. 584.— Rf:latiox of Striictuees at and bkluvv thk Tkansvekse Fissure. (Thane, j 



GALL BLADDER 



Ifepatic artery 



Structure of the liver. — If a section be made of the liver, the following features 

 in its general structure ma}' be noted: — 



Outside of all will be seen the investment of periioneinu, which is incomplete in 

 parts, and which has been already described. 



Within this a thin Jihrejus coat will be ol)served to invest the entire gland. At 

 the transverse fissure this coat turns into tlie substance of the liver with the 

 branches of the iM)rtal vein. 



Glis--<on\s capsule. — The capsule is in all ])arts closely adherent to the gland- 

 substance, and is thickest where the peritoneum is absent. 



The liver on section is seen to be mottled, and when a portion is torn the 

 surface presents a granular appearance. This is produced by the minute lobules 

 (one twenty-fourth to one-twelfth of an inch in diameter) of which the liver tissue 

 is com])osed. 



The cut surface will also exhibit the openings of a number of canals. A slight 

 examination will show that these are of two kind.>< — viz. the canals for the branches 

 of the portal vein and the canals for the hepatic veins. 



In the portal catuil.^ the vein is accompanied l)y a branch of the duct and a 

 l)ranch of the hepatic artery. The vein has thick walls which will l)e seen to be 

 more or less collapsed on section. The vessels in the canal are s»oparated from the 

 liver substance by much connective tissue (Glis.son's capsule, fig. 5<S5). 



In the hepatic canals the veins are solitary, their walls are exceedingly thin, and 

 their mouths open and gaping. The wall of the vein is directly adherent to the 

 liver suljstance, no connective tissue ca))sule intervening. 



The gall bladder, which retains the liile. i.^; situated Ix'tween the right and 



