54 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDIES 



THE PANCREAS 



The pancreas is seen in Plates XVI, XVII, XVIII, 

 XXVIII and XXXII. The head lies anterior to the first 

 two lumbar vertebrae. It fills the concavity of the duo- 

 denum, with its lower part lying upon the anterior surface 

 of the transverse duodenum. The body of the gland ex- 

 tends outward from the upper and left part of the head to 

 the lower part of the gastric surface of the spleen. It 

 passes above and behind the duodenojejunal angle, between 

 it and the hilus of the left kidney. The tail is the triangu- 

 lar pyramidal extremity of the gland, which turns upward 

 from the outer end of the body into the space between the 

 spleen, kidney and stomach. 



The head is flat with its posterior surface bound tightly 

 to the vena cava inferior and left renal vein above and the 

 transverse duodenum below. The vena cava and renal vein 

 separate it from the crura of the diaphragm. The anterior 

 surface of the head is covered with peritonaeum and is in 

 relation with the pylorus and the transverse colon. The 

 right border of the head is attached to the left side of the 

 descending duodenum and presents a groove in its upper 

 half in which the common bile duct passes downward to 

 open into the posterior part of the descending duodenum. 

 The left border of the head is separated from the ascending 

 duodenum bythe superior mesenteric vessels. These vessels 

 make a groove in the pancreas, which begins above near 

 the posterior part of the left side and runs downward and 

 forward across the left border to reach the base of the 

 mesentery (Plates XVII and XVIII). 



The body of the pancreas is prismatic in form. The 

 anterior surface is peritonaeal, faces upward and forward 

 and is in relation with the posterior surface of the stomach. 



