216 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 
from loca] inundation—the liver caves in from overwork, too mack 
tood, and too little discretion. A hard pull on an omnibus, or s 
similar feat in a marketer’s wagon, would be the very best medi- 
cine in the world for a plethoric horse, or one predisposed ta 
hepatic derangement. 
THE PANCREAS AND ITS FUNCTION. 
The pancreas is a glandular body lying across the spine, in the 
epigastric region, underneath the diaphragm, near the small curv- 
ature of the stomach. The body of this gland is pierced by the 
vena porta (known as the gate rein); has one attachment to the 
spleen, and another to the left kidney. It is divided into head, 
body, and tail. Structure, similar to salivary glands. Color, 
pale red, speckled. It is composed of many lobules. Every Johe 
has a distinct set of nerves, arteries, veins, and ducts. Every lobe 
is, therefore, considered as a distinct gland, and the same is true 
of the salivary glands. The duct pierces the duodenum (kncwn 
as the second stomach), alongside of the hepatic duct. 
The pancreatic arteries are derived mostly from the hepatic. 
Several, however, come from the splenic, in its course to the lef 
side of the abdomen, and one or two from the gastric. The veins 
are tributary to the vena porta. The nerves come from the celiae 
plecus. The fluid secreted by the pancreas is a colorless, limpid 
fluid. It forms an emulsion of fat; hence it dissolves the fatty 
matters of the food. It is an active agent in the preparation of 
chyle. That the pancreatic juice possesses the property of emul- 
sifying fat is proved from the fact that when the pancreas is 
destroyed, and the animal fed on food containing fatty matter, the 
latter passes with the feces, just like fat in an unchanged state. 
Mr. GAamGEE says: “The pancreatic juice has another impor- 
tant use which remains to be spoken of, and that is a peculiar 
action on nitrogenized substances. If raw meat be placcd in 
som? of the juice, the meat speedily softens and putrefies, ‘The 
same occurs with albumen or caseine in the raw state; but if the 
azotized principles are previously boiled, or acted upon by the 
gastric juice, the pancreatic therefore serves many purposes, and 
acts on every kind of aliment. 
Circumstances affecting the digestive function in general have a 
special influence on the pancreas, and modify its secretion. Such 
