719 
limits, while in other sections many nerve endings could easily be 
found between the cells, frequently with the knob-ending, more rarely 
with a forked extremity, or more distinct arborizations (figs. 9 
and 2). These arborizations most commonly occur at the triangular 
spaces left by the formation of the liver cells, that are, as will be 
shown in the subsequent article, filled in by cells of an entirely dif- 
ferent description, together with a small branch of the portal vein. 
Traces of another nerve-meshwork with very much finer fibres may 
also be occasionally seen, having a different arrangement from the 
biliary network. 
Somewhat rarely a nerve termination may be met with, that looks 
as if it were situated directly over the centre, or at least within 
the circumference of the hepatic cell (fig. 3). This we suppose is 
owing to a nerve fibril passing between rows of irregularly arranged 
liver cells, and there terminating so as to appear as if it were situated 
within the margin of the cellular body. All sections have to be, from 
the nature of the work, somewhat thick, and portions of two cut cells 
may easily be included within the thickness of one section. 
Nerve endings between each and every liver cell do not appear 
to be present, as it is only here and there that we meet with one: 
this may however be a fault of the stain, or the cells themselves pre- 
senting so many surfaces in their polygonal form, it may easily be, 
that surfaces that are not seen in the section, have the endings ad- 
justed to them. With absolute certainty though, the terminations of 
the nerves may be held to end between the hepatic cells, in the spaces 
between their walls which are not filled by the biliary canaliculi, and 
they do not enter the cell body in any way, the influence therefore 
being indirect. No nerve fibres follow the capillaries of the portal vein 
for any distance, but as has already been noted the terminations may 
be seen occasionally near cross-sections of intra-lobular portal capil- 
laries. 
To return for a moment to the intra-lobular plexuses: our work 
on the kidney showed that a single nerve fibril could branch and ana- 
stomose upon itself, and form a plexus of comparatively large extent, 
with but doubtful, or at the most, very infrequent anastomoses with 
branches from other nerve fibres. The very few sections that show at 
all clearly the derivation of the inter-cellular plexus leads us to sup- 
pose that the same manner of distribution holds good also for the 
hepatic organ. In fig. 8, the thicker fibre that comes off from the 
upper surface, is connected with a fibril belonging to the nerves of 
