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Spleen

The spleen is the largest of the lymphoid tissues. It is just about the size of the heart; the tissue which makes up the spleen is a spongy material which will hold up to .3 gallons of blood. The spleen is located on the left side of the body, just behind the stomach. It's a valuable organ which produces some of the white blood cells; filters the blood; and destroys old, worn-out red blood cells and returns needed iron to the blood, disposing of the rest of the old blood cells as waste. The...

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    Full Spleen Description

    [Continued from above] . . . spleen also stores excess blood for emergencies, for example when oxygen in the circulatory system is short. We often hear that the victim of an auto accident has had a ruptured spleen which has been removed surgically. Because the spleen is so soft and spongy, it cannot be repaired by surgery, so if it has been punctured or otherwise injured so that it bleeds, it is typically safer to remove the spleen to stop the loss of blood.