The Spleen
PKGhatak, MD
The spleen is the most underappreciated organ in the human body. Even people gave it a bad rap like “to vent one’s spleen”- meaning vent anger. Sadness and melancholy were associated with the spleen. Greek and Chinese were more generous with the spleen, they associated the spleen with good-heartedness and strong willpower. Medical books describe the spleen as the headquarters of the Reticulo-Endothelial System. It menas spleen is rich in lymph nodes and lymphatics.
The spleen is not a good looking organ. It is a kind of mottled purplish gray in color, about 3 inches from side to side and 4 inches vertically, and 2 inches in thickness. It weighs less than 1/2 pound. The spleen is hidden under the left rib cage, way deep inside the abdomen, resting below the diaphragm. The top of the left kidney is resting on it, the tail of the pancreas is touching it and the stomach is smoothly gliding over it.
If you imagine shrinking yourself to a tiny size like an RBC (red blood cell) and enter the spleen you will immediately find yourself lost in an area like bogs in Louisiana. Pools of blood are everywhere and there are islands of cells of various sizes all along the lakes, channels, and streams. The central part of spleen has whitish appearance and as you travel towards the distal end you see it is turning red color.
In the white area where Lymphocytes are generated.
In the red area where the cells are examining all the formed elements like broken cells, viruses, bacteria and fugases, similar to the airport security officers scanning, patting and strip searching passengers before boarding. The spleen removes diseased and deformed and broken blood cells from the circulation by trapping them in their vast nerwok of sinusoids and capillaries, similar to trapping fish, used by villagers by placing bamboo fishtraps along the small streams. The bacteria, parasites and other pathogens are recognised by Dendratic cells by their structural identification, which is descussed in detais elsewhere. The dendratic cells give them to macrophages to eat them alive, and this function is enhanced by markning the pathogens by protiens -IgG antobodies and Complements.
The disease fighting antibodies are produced by B-lymphocytes in the bone marrow and also in the spleen.
The T1 lymphocytes reached maturity in the spleen and matured T2 lumphocytes are temporarily housed in spleen before sending them into circulation.
The human spleen has lost its ability, in the course of evolution, to inject a fresh supply of RBC in circulation in times of need like the sudden spurts of physical activities. Dogs and horses have retained that function. In humans, the spleen stores Platelets and some White Blood Cells, and releases them into circulation after a massive injury, burns and septesemia.
In case the speen is lacerrated in an traffic accidents or in fractures lower ribs, the patient will bleed continuously and unless interveined. In diseases like Leukemia, Thalassemia, and Sickle cell anemia and in acute infections like mononucleosis, septicemia, chronic malaria, and Leishmania spleen enlarges. An enlarged spleen is often causes a dull pain in the lower back and may be confused with the the pain from left kidney stones.
The spleen is like brain tissue, once damaged it can not be stitched together; a lacerated spleen has to be removed. Once speen is removed some of its functions are taken over by the Liver. But the disease fighting abilities against bacterial and parasitic infections are significantly compromised. To boost antibody producrion in the mone marrow more frequent vaccinations are required against certain bacterial infections.
I believe, you may be ready to pay a tribute to one of the unsung heroes of our amazing body.
edited. January 2026.
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