20 



confined to the part of the cell which lies next to the bloodvessel but 

 penetrate to all parts and are especially numerous in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the nucleus (or nuclei when there are two), but the 

 injection nowhere penetrates into the nuclei. There is also in the labora- 

 tory a piece of injected cat's liver showing precisely similar appearances. 

 The livers in question have been used for cutting sections for 

 class purposes for a number of years and it was in such a preparation 

 that I noticed the appearances here described and delineated (see Fi- 

 gure). As I have but recently come to Edinburgh I know nothing of 



the history of the preparations, and 

 my present assistants (all of whom 

 had worked under my predecessor 

 the late Professor Rutherford) 

 were unable to throw any light upon 

 it. But in looking through the 

 private collection of the late Profes- 

 sor I came across some specimens 

 labelled in his handwriting "Liver, 

 injected from portal vein. Shows 

 injection within cells" one bearing 

 the date 1886. I accordingly wrote 

 to Professor Carlier of Birmingham 

 who was then and for many years 

 subsequently assistant to Ruther- 

 ford, for information about the spe- 

 cimen and received from him the following reply: "The specimens of 

 liver injected in red were done by Simpson under my direction and 

 used for class purposes. These canals were first noticed by me and 

 shown to Rutherford who would not let me pubHsh a note of them." 

 Whatever may have been Professor Rutherford's reason for refusing 

 to permit the publication of Professor Carlier's observation one cannot 

 but regret that it should have been delayed for so long considering the 

 important influence the knowledge of this intimate connection between 

 liver cells and bloodvessels must have on our views regarding the me- 

 chanism of nutrition of the liver cells and its bearing upon patho- 

 logical conditions which have been hitherto obscure, 



I have sent sections of the injected liver of the rabbit to Professor 

 Browicz, and I learn from him that he entirely agrees in the conclusion 

 I have drawn from these preparations viz: that they unmistakeably 

 demonstrate the existence within the liver cells of canaliculi communi- 

 cating directly with the bloodvessels. 



Fig. 1. Section of liver of rabbit in- 

 jected witli carmine gelatine from the portal 

 vein. 350 diameters. 



