# What is the spleen?

The the spleen is called the spleen. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a soft, purplish organ about the size of a fist.

## What it means

- A soft, purplish organ about the size of a fist.
- Not part of the digestive tract despite its location.
- Filters old red blood cells from the blood and helps mount immune responses.

## Action steps

1. In the upper left of the abdomen, under the diaphragm.
2. Behind the stomach.
3. Protected by the ninth to eleventh ribs.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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