Liver

Largest gland of the body, weighing 3 to 5 lbs., measuring in man 10-12 in. transversely, 6-7 in. from before backward and about 3 in. in its thickest part. It is situated in the abdomen, on the right side of the body beneath the diaphragm, and is held in position by folds of the per it onæum. It consists of a large number of lobules about in. in diameter, each of which contains or is surrounded by minute blood ve els and fine canals which unite to form the ducts, conveying the bile to the gall bladder, underneath organ, a portion however entering the duodenum directly. By the portal vein and its branches the blood from the stomach, intestines and spleen pa es through and around the lobules, and after having been modified by the hepatic cells returns into the general circulation through the hepatic vein. The functions of the liver are the formation of bile, the conversion of the sugar and starchy bodies derived from the food into glucose and certain nitrogenous substances into urea. Congestion, cirrhosis and hepatitis are the chief diseases.