Liver

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Medical illustration showing main parts of the liver: gallbladder, bile duct, hepatic hilum, hepatic artery, portal vein.

The liver (Greek: ἧπαρ Hepar, Latin: iecur) is the central metabolic organ of the organism and forms the largest gland in the vertebrate body. It is the life organ par excellence and is characterised by its high regenerative capacity; the etheric body proves particularly effective here. The human liver weighs about 1500 to 2000 g and is located on the right side of the upper abdomen (epigastrium). It is fixed in the abdominal cavity by several ligaments. Anatomically, it is divided into two large and two small liver lobes. The right large liver lobe (lobus dexter) lies under the diaphragm, the left large liver lobe (lobus sinister) projects into the left upper abdomen. The two smaller lobes are the square lobe (lobus quadratus) and the "tailed" lobe (lobus caudatus). In the macrocosm, the liver corresponds to the planet Jupiter (Lit.:GA 128, p. 36) and the associated planetary metal tin.

The liver as an organ of will

The liver is the essential organ for turning ideas into action. If the liver's activity is disturbed, inhibitions of the will occur.

„For the crux of the matter is that the liver is not merely the organ in the human being which describes the physiology of today, it is in the most eminent sense the organ which gives the human being the courage to transform an imagined deed into a deed which is actually carried out. So when it happens that I am organised as a human being in such a way that a tram drives away, I know I am supposed to go to Basel - there are people like that - I am already there: at the last moment I can't get on, something wants to hold me back, I don't get to get on! - You see, something like that sometimes reveals itself in a strange way when a stagnation of the will occurs. But when such a thing occurs, there is always a fine liver defect. The liver always mediates the transposition of the ideas undertaken into the actions performed by the limbs.“ (Lit.:GA 317, p. 22)

The liver and the water element

The liver has a strong connection to the water element, which is the material carrier of the etheric body. When we feel thirst, this is also connected with the liver system.

„Now all that which is connected with the watery, which is connected with the liquid, for that we must seek the deeper reasons in the liver system. Just as respiratory distress and respiratory regulation, the need to breathe, is connected with the kidney system, so thirst is connected with the liver system. All thirst is related to the liver system. It would be an interesting task to study the interrelationships of the various human thirst qualities in the effects of the liver. And intimately connected with the inner constitution of the lungs, as it were with the inner metabolism of the lungs, are the phenomena of hunger and all that stands in this field.“ (Lit.:GA 312, p. 225)

Literature

German

  • Herbert Hensel: Die Lebertemperatur des Menschen. Zur Geschichte eines physiologischen Irrtums, in: Beiträge zu einer Erweiterung der Heilkunst nach geisteswissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen. 1977, 30(5), S. 157-159
  • Friedrich Husemann, Otto Wolff (ed.): Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst. Entwurf einer geisteswissenschaftlich orientierten Medizin, 3 Bände:
Band 1: Zur Anatomie und Physiologie. Weise, Dresden 1941; 11. durchges. A. 2003: Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-7725-0529-5
Band 2: Zur Pathologie und Therapie. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1956; 6. bearb. u. erw. A. 2000, ISBN 3-7725-0530-9
Band 3: Zur speziellen Pathologie und Therapie. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1978; 4. A. 1993, ISBN 3-7725-0531-7
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