46 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDIES 



Stomach by the great omentum. At the beginning it is in 

 relation anteriorly with the anterior abdominal wall, ex- 

 ternally and superiorly with the inferior surface of the right 

 lobe of the liver, and posteriorly with the ascending colon,, 

 second portion of the duodenum and the head of the pan- 

 creas. A little higher up it is separated from the duodenum 

 by the antrum pyloricum. The part of the colon lying to 

 the left of the midplane is in relation with the body of 

 the pancreas posteriorly, from the upper part of which it is 

 separated by the greater curvature of the stomach. It 

 arches over and is in contact with the duodenojejunal angle. 

 At the level of the first lumbar vertebra it comes into con- 

 tact with the inferior portion of the gastric surface of the 

 spleen, and becomes retroperitonaeal. 



The splenic flexure is in the midaxillary plane at the 

 level of the first lumbar vertebra. It is separated from 

 the ninth intercostal space by the diaphragm only, and from 

 the kidney by the lower part of the tail of the pancreas. 



The descending colon is more contracted than the 

 other portions of the large intestine and extends from the 

 splenic flexure to the crest of the ilium. It lies a little 

 posterior to the midaxillary plane, and runs downward, in- 

 ward and forward between the kidney and the lateral body 

 wall above and the psoas and quadratus muscles and the 

 body wall below. It is covered with peritonaeum on its. 

 anterior surface and a part of each lateral surface. Below 

 the spleen and pancreas the colon lies upon the external 

 (anterior) surface of the kidney (Plate XVIII). In the 

 lower part of its course it lies in the groove between the 

 psoas and quadratus muscles. Its peritonaeal surface is in 

 contact with coils of the jejunoileum. 



The sigmoid colon lies in the left iliac fossa and in the 

 true pelvic cavity. It continues downward in the same: 



