Liver

The liver is the largest organ in the entire, normal human body. It weighs anywhere from 2.5 to 3.3 pounds. With its large size it is also a very resilient organ. Up to 3/4 of its cells can be removed before is ceases to function. It is red-brown organ roughly shaped like a cone. The liver is located in the upper right abdominal cavity immediately beneath the diaphragm. Without the liver, we could not survive. It serves as the body’s chemical factory and it regulates the levels of most of the main chemicals in the blood. It is classified in the digestive system, because of the bile it produces. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Although it contains no digestive enzymes, bile does dilute and neutralize stomach acid, and it increases the efficiency of fat digestion and absorption. The liver is the organ that allows us to drink alcohol. With the help of the kidneys, the liver clears the blood of drugs, alcohol, and other poisonous substances by absorption. It then alters the chemical structure of the substance absorbed, makes them water soluble, and excretes it in the bile. From there, the bile carries waste, including the absorbed substance, to the small intestine, taking a pitstop at the gallbladder, where it also helps in the breakdown and absorption of fats present.
Structure of the Liver The liver is a roughly triangular organ that extends across the entire abdominal cavity just inferior to the diaphragm. Most of the liver’s mass is located on the right side of the body where it descends inferiorly toward the right kidney. The liver is made of very soft, pinkish-brown tissues encapsulated by a connective tissue capsule. This capsule is further covered and reinforced by the peritoneum of the abdominal cavity, which protects the liver and holds it in place within the abdomen.
The peritoneum connects the liver in 4 locations: the coronary ligament, the left and right triangular ligaments, and the falciform ligament. These