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•proprietors of lands were attentive to tli? circuniftauce, by 

 -citiier providing fuch male (lock thcmlelvc?, or enabling 

 their tenants cfTeftually to do it, where tlu-ir fituations ren- 

 der it inipofTible. By fome well concerted plan of this na- 

 •tiire, a great and general charge, fo as to render the differ- 

 ent forts of domcltic animals much more perfeft than they 

 are at prefoit, as well as better adapted to their fituatior.s, 

 might be effected. But without fome fort of aid of this 

 kind it does not feem probable, from the great expence at- 

 tending the biifinefs, that any general improvement of them 

 can take place, though it may be carried to a confiderable 

 extent in particular cafes and circumilances. 



LI'VKNSK, in Geo^^r.npky, a town of Rnflia, in the go- 

 «vernment of \''oronez ; 36 miles W.S.W. of Vorojiez. N. 

 >lat. jTS'. E. long. 38 14'. 



I>IVER, in Anatomy and Pkyfw'logy, is the largeft gland 

 in the body, and performs the iecretion of the bile. That 

 fluid is conveyed from the liver by its excretory duc^, 

 called the Iicpatic ; which fometimes tranfmits it to the 

 duodenum, and fomelimes, through a fecond tube called 

 the cyllic duft, into the membranous bag connefted to 

 the liver, and named the gallbladder. The anatomical 

 (lefcription of thefe organs, and the explanation of their 

 .funftioiis are, the objedts of this article. 



The liver is a fingle organ, like the others of the organic 

 'life, not fymmetrical in its figure, yet tolerably conftant in 

 its peculiar fliape ; occupying the upper part of the cavity 

 of the abdomen, whei-e it is plar-d obliqi'.ely from right 

 to left, tiie thickeft portion filling up the right hypochon- 

 drium, or fpace included by the falfe ribs of the right 

 iidc, and the thinner part extending acrofs the middle of 

 the body in the epigaftric regio'i to the left hypochondrium. 

 it is more deeply covered by the ribs in the male than in 

 .the female fex. In general it is fma'ler in proportion as the 

 individual is more healthy -. it generally becomes enlarged in 

 .iize when difeafed. 



• It is lituated immediately under the diaphragm, of which 

 the tendon intervenes between it and the pericardium ; and 

 above the ftomach, arch of the colon, duodenum, little 

 omentum, gall bladder, and right kidney. Behind, it lies 

 againft the vertebral column, the crura of the diaphragm, 

 the oefophagus, the aorta and the inferior vena cava : and it 

 is bounded in front by the cartilaginous edge of the cheif. 

 The right falfe ribs are on its right, and the fpleen on its 

 •ieft. 



The preffure of the fiirrounding organs juft enumerated, 

 the connedlron which the inferior vena cava has to it, but 

 more particularly certain folds of peritoneum, called its li- 

 gaments, retain it in its fituation, leaving it however a con- 

 Jiderable power of changing its relative pofitiwn. Anato- 

 mills enumerate four or five ligaments, all of which conneft 

 the liver to the furface of the diaphragm ; but they feem to 

 be merely fo many parts of one and the fame prodnftion. 

 From the middle of the diaphragm, beginning at the apex 

 -of the enfiform cartilage, and extending bjckwards with a 

 ■■little obliquity to the right, and from the aponeurolis of 

 ,the tranfverfus abdominis, almolt as low as the navel, a fold 

 <sf peritoneum, confuting of two laminre, a right and left, 

 paftes to the convex furface of the liver, and is attached 

 to it from the fofla umbilicalis to the notch that receives 

 the vena cava. This, which is called the ligamentum la- 

 tum, or fufpenforiiim liepatis, is narrow below and in front, 

 grows broader in the middle, where it arrives at the dia- 

 phra;;m, and then becomes again very narrow behind : it 

 pofTeifes in fad a falciform fhape, the convex margin being 

 turned upwards, the co!icave downwards, and the apex 

 backwards. Tlie frijiit aad lower edge of the hgament is 



thick and roundci^, and contains the reinains of the nmbi- 

 lical vein of the firtus, furrounded by more or lefs fat ; 

 this part, which is implanted in the front no'.tli of the 

 liver, is called the ligamentum teres hepatis. The two 

 fides of the ligament confill of broad and fniooth furfaccs ; 

 of which one is turned forv^'ards and in contsft with the 

 parietcs of the abdomen below, and the diaphragm above ; 

 the other, turned backwards, lies againll the liver above and 

 the abdominal vil'cera below. Befides the iimbiliuil vein, 

 the two layers of this ligament include feveral lymphatic 

 trunks proceeding from the liver to the cheft. Its laminx 

 are continuous on one fide with the peritoneum lining the 

 abdominal cavity, and on the other with the external peri- 

 toneal covering of the liver. Its functions feem rather 

 connefted with the tranfmiihon of the umbilical ^vein, than 

 with any confinement of the liver to a particular fituation : 

 for all the broad anterior portion is fo loofe, that it does 

 not at all limit the motiois of the organ : where it is nar- 

 rower, it may perform this office. It will confine the liver 

 principally in its lateral motions. It is laid to have been 

 foraetimes deficient ; but the obfervation ajjpears doubtful. 



The two laminx compofiiig the broad li..;aiKent feparate 

 from each other towards the polKrior part of the organ, 

 and, as they proceed towards the right and left fides, take 

 the names of right and left or lateral ligaments of the liver. 

 Thefe conneft the relpetlive lobes to the diaphragm ; they 

 have a triangular form ; one fide is loofe, one connctVed to 

 the liver, and the third to the diaphragm. They confilt, 

 like the broad ligament, of two layers of peritoneum, in- 

 cluding a fmall quantity of cellular fubllance, and fome 

 lymphatic veficls. The left is commonly rather larger than 

 the right. 



The coronary ligament of the liver is a broad adhcfion 

 between the poiterior part of the organ and the furface of 

 the diaphragm : the two parts are united by a clofe cellular 

 tifTue through a furface of confiderable extent. The bound- 

 aries of this union are formed by a very fhort reflexion of 

 peritoneum, by the brv.-ad ligament in front, and by the 

 lateral ligaments at the fides. The nature of the connexion 

 between the liver and dia]>iiragm, will be beil underftoo<l by 

 obferving the furface of the former after it has been removed 

 from its fituation. We then fee the two laminse of the 

 broad ligament ft-'/arating from each other behind, and de- 

 p;.rtirig towards each fide to form the lateral ligaments, 

 which are aljb connedied in a llraight line along the back 

 edge of the liver. The broad fpace, included between all 

 thefe parts, and forming a furface of adhefion between the 

 liver and diaphragm, is the coronary ligament. This con- 

 neftion acts very powerfully in maintaining the organ in its 

 proper pofition, and preventing it from moving loofely in 

 the abdomen. 



We fliould alfo enumerate, among the conncdlions of the 

 liver, a portion of peritoneum pafiing from it to the right 

 kidney ; and the little omentum which joins it to the llo- 

 mach. (See Epii'LOOx.) It mull be remembered, that the 

 connexions jull enumerated do not fupport tiie weight of the 

 liver in the living fubjec^, as they appear to do after death, 

 when t!ie abdomen has been laid open. In that cafe the 

 liver finks downwards from the diaphragm, becomes fepa- 

 ratcd from it by a confiderable interval, and is fupported iit 

 a great meafure by the broad ligament. During life the 

 furrounding oigans maintain the liver in its place, and thefe 

 are all fupported and held in their relpeftive .fituations by 

 the adtion of the refpiratory niulcles. Hence the organ is 

 liable to changes of pofition according as ihele parts are 

 moved, and it may be very varioufly atfefted in this way, at 

 the« are fo many organs m contatt with iL Whenever \h« 



dia^whragm 



