354 OCCURRENCE OF GLYCOGEN. 



grape-sugar occur in the dead liver (Limpricht, Kiilz), but in addition, 

 some glycogen is found for a considerable time after death, in the liver 

 and in the muscles. 



Other Situations. Glycogen is by no means confined to the liver-cells; it 

 occurs during foetal life in all the tissues of the body of the embryo, also in young 

 animals (Kiihne), and in the placenta (Bernard). In the adult it occurs in the 

 testicle (Kiihue), in the muscles (MacDonnel, 0. Nasse), in numerous pathological 

 products, in inflamed lungs (Kiihne), and also in the corresponding tissues of the 

 lower animals. [It also occurs in the chorionic villi (Cl. Bernard), in colourless 

 blood-corpuscles, in fresh pus cells which still exhibit amoeboid movements, and in 

 fact in all developing animal cells, with amoeboid movement; it is a never-failing 

 constituent in cartilage, and in the muscles and liver of invertebrata, such as 

 the oyster (Hoppe-Seyler).] 



Persons suffering from diabetes require a large amount of food; they 

 suffer greatly from thirst, and drink much fluid. They exhibit signs 

 of marked emaciation, when the loss of the body is greater than the 

 supply. In severe cases towards death, not unfrequently a peculiar 

 comatose condition diabetic coma occurs, when the breath often has 

 the odour of acetone, which is also found in the urine (Fetters). But 

 neither acetone nor its precursor, aceto-acetic acid, nor rethyl-diacetic 

 acid, nor the unknown substance, in diabetic urine, which gives the 

 red colour with ferric chloride, is the cause of the coma (Frerichs and 

 Brieger). The urinary tubules often show the signs of coagulation- 

 necrosis, which is recognised by a clear swollen-up condition of the 

 dead cells (Ebstein). As yet there is no satisfactory explanation of 

 those rarer cases of " acetomemia" without diabetes (Kanlecti, Cantini, 

 v. Jacksch). 



176. The Functions of the Liver. 



[We have still much to learn regarding the functions of the liver, but 

 it has two distinct functions one obvious, the other not. (1) The 

 liver secretes lile, which is formed by the hepatic cells, and leaves the 

 organ by the bile-ducts, to be poured by them into the duodenum. 

 (2) But the liver-cells also form glycogen, which does not pass into the 

 ducts, but in some, altered and diffusible form passes into the blood- 

 stream, and leaves the liver by the hepatic veins. Hence, the study of 

 the liver materially influences our conception of a secreting organ. In 

 this case, we have the products of its secretory activity leaving it by two 

 different channels the one by the ducts, and the other by the blood- 

 stream. The relation of the liver to the blood-corpuscles has already 

 been mentioned (pp. 13-17).] 



177. Constituents of the Bile. 



Bile is a yellowish brown or dark green-coloured transparent fluid, 

 with a sweetish strongly bitter taste, feeble musk-like odour and 



