1-9.
LIVER--ACCESSORY ORGAN
a. The liver is the largest gland in the body. It weighs three to four pounds.
There are two principal lobes in the liver: the left lobe and the right lobe. The left lobe
forms one-sixth of the liver mass. The right lobe has several subdivisions: the right
lobe proper and two small lobes associated with it. Those smaller lobes are the
caudate lobe and the quadrate lobe.
Figure 1-6. The liver.
b. The liver is connected to the small intestine by a series of ducts which are
important passageways. The right and left hepatic ducts come from under the surface
of the liver to form the common hepatic duct. The common hepatic duct joins with the
cystic duct of the gallbladder to form the common bile duct which empties into the
duodenum.
1-10. GALLBLADDER--ACCESSORY ORGAN
a. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac which is about three to four inches long.
This organ is located under the liver. Bile pours into and comes out of the liver by way
of the cystic duct. The gallbladder serves as a storage sac for excess bile which is
concentrated five to ten times normal strength while in this organ. See figure 1-1 for
position of the gallbladder.
b. The wall of the gallbladder is made up of an inner muscular layer, a middle,
muscular coat, and an outer coat. The inner muscular layer consists of mucous
membranes arranged in large folds similar to the empty stomach lining. The middle
muscular coat is made up of smooth muscle fibers, and the outer coat is the visceral
peritoneum (the outer covering for internal organs of the body).
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