i 9 2 LABORATORY MANUAL FOR VERTEBRATE ANATOMY 



from the gall bladder and the hepatic ducts from the lobes of the liver, that from 

 the right lateral lobe being especially large. The cystic and hepatic ducts unite 

 to form the common bile duct which passes to the intestine in the hepatoduodenal 

 ligament. It should be traced to the duodenum by cleaning away the connective 

 tissue around it. Note to the right and dorsal to the bile duct, lying also in 

 the hepatoduodenal ligament, the large hepatic portal vein. This must not be 

 injured. Immediately dorsal to this vein, posterior to its branch into the right 

 lateral lobe of the liver, the hepatoduodenal ligament has a free border which 

 forms the ventral rim of an opening or slit of some size, the foramen epiploicum 

 or entrance into the cavity of the omentum. It can be identified with certainty 

 by making a slit into the cavity of the omentum and probing through the slit 

 toward the right, toward the spot just described. 



The lesser omentum extends to the middle of the posterior face of the liver, 

 where it becomes the serosa of the liver; here its two walls part and inclosing the 

 liver between them pass to the anterior face of the liver, where they again unite 

 to form ligaments. The falciform ligament extends from between the two median 

 lobes of the liver to the median ventral line; it is a thin sheet with a concave 

 posterior border. Anteriorly and dorsally it is continuous with the coronary 

 ligament, a stout ligament which attaches the liver to the central tendon of the 

 diaphragm. The coronary ligament is circular in form, and its ring of attachment 

 to the liver bounds a small space on the anterior face of the liver which is free from 

 serosa. 



Now trace the intestine from the pylorus. Its first portion, the duodenum, 

 is bound to the liver by the hepatoduodenal ligament. The duodenum curves 

 abruptly caudad. In the rabbit it is very long and forms a loop. The part of 

 this loop which descends posteriorly is named the descending limb; the short 

 turn at the most posterior part of the loop is the transverse limb; and the part 

 which ascends anteriorly toward the stomach is called the ascending limb. The 

 duodenum of the cat descends caudad for about two inches and then turns to the 

 left. The duodenum is supported by a part of the dorsal mesentery, the mesoduo- 

 denum. It is also attached to the right kidney by a mesenterial fold, the duode- 

 norenal ligament. Located in the mesoduodenum is the pancreas. It will be 

 seen by spreading the mesentery. In the rabbit the pancreas consists of streaks 

 of gland tissue scattered in the mesentery and situated chiefly along the courses 

 of blood vessels. In the cat the pancreas is a definite compact white gland which 

 extends to the left into the dorsal wall of the greater omentum, dorsal to the 

 greater curvature of the stomach. In the rabbit the pancreatic duct enters the duo- 

 denum about an inch or an inch and one-half anterior to the beginning of the 

 ascending limb of the duodenum. This location of the pancreatic duct is unusual 

 in mammals. In the cat there are two pancreatic ducts. The principal one 

 joins the common bile duct at the point where the latter enters the duodenum. 

 On picking away the substance of the pancreas at this point the duct is readily 



