The gallbladder serves the function of concentrating and storing ~bile~, produced in dilute form by the |liver|, and secreting the ~bile~ through the |cystic ducts| into the |duodenum| where it can help in digestion. The gallbladder itself is a blue-green organ, about three inches long, located on the underside of the |liver|. ~Bile~ is composed of ~cholesterol~, ~bile~ salts, and ~bile~ pigment. The gallbladder is not critical to the survival of the human, and may be removed without severely adverse effects. The crystallization of the ~bile~ salts in the gallbladder gives rise to ~gallstones~, which often requires surgical correction.
