326 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 



upon Jupiter, I instantly perceived a small star near his western 

 edge, and observed its occultation with power 188. The disap- 

 pearance occurred at 9*^ 20°^ 48^+G.M.T. ; the angle on the limb, 

 measured from the planet's northern pole round by the eastern or 

 following side, being about 250°. Jupiter was obscured by clouds 

 at the time of the reappearance of the star, which is Hessel (Weisse) 

 xii. 966. Mean place for 1825, R.A. 12»» 54'" 49*21, a— 4° 12' 

 33"'2. It is of the 8th magnitude, according to Bessel. 



The air was unfavourable, and the time noted is therefore uncer- 

 tain to a few seconds. 



On the evening of March 12, 1851, as the sun was setting in the 

 midst of a thick haze, Mr. Weld observed a spot on the sun's disc 

 with the naked eye. On pointing it out to one or two other persons, 

 they saw it with facility. Next day he observed the sun with the 

 equatoreal, and found a single large spot nearly round but somewhat 

 angular. Its greatest measured diameter parallel to the equator was 

 4'05, that of the nucleus P"60. Its diameter measured along the 

 meridian circle was 52"*53. 



L. Intelligence and Miscellaneozis Articles. 



ON THE PRODUCTION OF SUGAR IN THE LIVER OF MAN AND 

 ANIMALS. BY CLAUDE BERNARD. 



ALTHOUGH it has long been known that, under certain condi- 

 tions, sugar may be found in the blood and other animal fluids, 

 yet hitherto the presence of saccharine matters has always been con- 

 sidered as accidental, and dependent exclusively on the nature of 

 the food. In the present note I shall demonstrate by the result of 

 my experiments — 



1. That the presence of sugar in the animal organism is a con- 

 stant fact, and is indispensable for the regular accomplishment of 

 the phsenomena of nutrition. 



2. I shall prove that the presence of sugar in the animal body is 

 not dependent on the kind of food, but that sugar is formed in the 

 liver by a special function of that organ. 



3. I shall finally point out the principal characters of the produc- 

 tion of sugar in the liver, showing that it is in immediate dependence 

 on the nervous system. 



Ist. Of the presence of sugar in the organism. During the period 

 of digestion, the blood which issues from the liver by the hepatic veins 

 (veines sus-hepatiques) invariably contains sugary both in man and 

 animals, whatever the nature of their food may be. 



The liver in most animals, and particularly in mammifera, is 

 placed intermediately between the abdominal and the general circu- 

 lation, 60 that the blood of the ventral vena portse, returning from 

 the spleen and intestines, must pass through the tissue of the liver 

 before arriving at the heart. Now without attending for the present 

 to the sourc^.9f the sugar,^l^^^J e^^|)l^h^^^^e;iejral facts :— 1st, 



