image

Liver. Historical illustration of the anatomy of the liver. The top diagram shows the smooth surface of the front of the liver and the ligaments (grey) that secure the liver within the abdominal cavity of the body. The bottom diagram shows the indented lower side of the liver with the gall bladder (white) and (at lower centre) branches of the portal vein (black) and hepatic artery (red) which carry blood to the liver. Next to these is part of a major vein (blue), the inferior vena cava. The liver is the largest internal organ and regulates blood chemistry. Colour lithograph by Fairland from The Viscera of the Human Body, 1840. Based on drawings by Bagg. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/SHEILA TERRY)