STRUCTURE OF THE LIVER. 



347 



portal vein and larger bile ducts. The branches of the hepatic artery anastomose 

 frequently where they lie between the lobules. On reaching the periphery of the 

 lobules, a certain number of capillaries are given off, which penetrate the lobule 



V.i 



Fig. 141. 



I, Scheme of a liver lobule V. i, V. i, interlobular veins (portal); V. c, central or 

 intra-lobular vein (hepatic) ; c, c, capillaries between both ; V. s, sublobular 

 vein ; V. v, vena vascularis; A, A. branches of the hepatic artery, giving branches, 

 r, r, to Glisson's capsule and the larger vessels, and ultimately forming the 

 vena? vasculares at i, i, opening into the intralobular capillaries ; y, branches 

 of the bile ducts ; x, x, intralobular bile capillaries between the liver-cells ; 

 it, d, position of the liver-cells between the meshes of the blood capillaries. 

 II, Isolated liver-cells c, a blood capillary; a, fine bile capillary channel. 



and terminate in the capillaries of the portal vein (i, i). Those capillaries, however, 

 which supply the walls of the portal vein and large bile ducts (r* r), terminate in 

 veins which end in the portal vein (V. v Ferrein). 



Several branches capsular pass to the surface of the liver, where they form a 

 wide-meshed plexus under the peritoneum. The blood is returned by veins which 

 open into branches of the portal vein. 



[Pathologists draw a sharp distinction between different zones within a hepatic 

 lobule. Thus, the central area, capillaries, and cells are the zone of the hepatic vein, 

 which is specially liable to cyanotic changes; the area next the periphery of the 

 lobule is the portal vein zone, whose cells under certain circumstances are particu- 

 larly apt to undergo fatty degeneration; while there is an area lying midway 

 between the two foregoing the hepatic artery zone which is specially liable to 

 amyloid or waxy degeneration.] 



