liver

(liv’er) [L. jec’ur, hep’ar). The glandular viscus that secretes bile. It measures from ten to twelve inches transversely, and from six to seven anteroposteriorly; it is three inches thick at its thickest part, and it weighs from three to four pounds. It is in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, occupying the right hypochondriac, the epigastric, and part of the left hypochondriac regions. The liver has five fi ures, five lobes, five ligaments, and five sets of ve els; it is inclosed in a fibrous coat, and is covered with peritoneum, except at the attachment of the coronary ligament. The lobes are: Right lobe, left lobe, lobus quadratus, lobus spigelii, lobus caudatus. The fi ures are: The longitudinal fi ure, the fi ure for the duct us venosus, the transverse fi ure, the fi ure for the gall-bladder, the fi ure for the vena cava. The ligaments are: The longitudinal ligament, the two lateral ligaments, the coronary ligament, the round ligament. The five sets of ve els are: Hepatic artery, portal vein, hepatic veins, hepatic ducts, lymphatics. In structure the liver is made up of lobes, the lobes of lobules, and the lobules of cells. The cells are surrounded by a capillary network derived from the hepatic artery and portal vein, and giving origin to the hepatic vein and hepatic duct. The function of the liver is to secrete bile, which is stored in the gall-bladder, and goes from this point into the intestine by means of the cystic duct and the duct us communis choledochus. It also forms glycogen from the maltose brought by the portal vein, storing it in the liver-cells; it converts nitrogenous matters that accumulate in the alimentary canal into urea, and it takes part in the formation and destruction of blood-corpuscles. albuminoid 1., amyloid 1., a liver which is the seat of an albuminoid or amyloid degeneration. beaver tail 1., one having a peculiar deformity of the left lobe. biliary cirrhotic 1., one wherein the bile-ducts are clogged and distended, the substance of the organ being inflamed. brimstone Pertaining to 540