Diexodus medica de hepatis

43. And the ὀρεκτικὴ appetitive faculty which can be attributed to it is to be understood only as the desire for food and drink; for it seeks like a miser, not only for χρῆσιν use, but also for ὑπῆσιν possession/abundance; and therefore it seems to have its seat here, as the steward of our treasury.

44. It has indeed obtained an ἀρχικὴν authoritative/ruling seat; that is to say, more eminent than the other parts destined for the completion of nourishment; for it is located closely under the diaphragm so that, when it has the final function in the τάξει order of the completion of nourishment, one does not arrive at it until the work prepared in the others is carried out.

45. The organ of such a necessary function is, by singular providence, protected by the lower ribs, lest it be troubled in its κτῆσιν possession/state by being exposed to compression; yet Nature has let a part of it descend beyond the ensiform cartilage for the sake of warming the stomach.

46. In this place, with the greater part of itself under the right hypochondrium, it rests upon the right region of the stomach; it is gradually narrowed on the other side and led to the upper orifice; it thus embraces the stomach for the purpose of immediately promoting ἐξαιματώσεως sanguification; it is located in an unequal position so that it may be an ἀντίζυγον counterbalance to the spleen.

47. It is fixed in such a position by ligaments arising from the common covering: it is suspended from the ribs of the chest first, by a strong one; the tip of the left part is tied to the right side of the shield; it is connected to the vena cava in the σώματι body by the peritoneum; it is attached to the beginning of the portal vein by the omentum; the anterior part is strengthened by the dried-up umbilical vein; and its ligaments degenerate only into the ambient tunic, they do not enter the altering substance.