ABDOMEJSr. 169 



ture of the stomach, and anastomoses round the pylorus 

 with the posterior gastric and right gastro-epiploic. 



c. Right gastro-epiploic or omental. — Passes along 

 the great curvature of the stomach between the layers 

 of the great omentum, and anastomoses by arcade with 

 the left gastro-epiploic, after sending gastric and omen- 

 tal branches or collaterals. It furnishes also the duo- 

 denal, anastomosing with the first artery of the small 

 intestine. 



3. Splenic. — The largest of the three branches of 

 tlie coeliac trunk, places itself in the fissure of the inter- 

 nal border of the spleen, down to its apex, runs between 

 the two layers of the great omentum and goes to anas- 

 tomose with the right gastro-epiploic, having thus formed 

 the left gastro-epiploic. From both collateral branches 

 gastric, splenic and epiploic are sent in all directions. 



Great mesenteric. — A trunk from one to one and 

 a half inches long, rising from the abdominal aorta 

 about two inches behind the coeliac axis, and soon divides 

 into three fasciculi, left, right and anterior. 



a. Left fasciculus. — Gives fifteen to twenty arte- 

 ries, ramifying in the small intestines, running between 

 the layers of the great mesentery and at some distance 

 from the small curvature of that organ, dividing into 

 two branches, which go to anastomose with correspond- 

 ing branches from the neighboring arteries, forming 



