PHYSIOLOGY OF LIVER. 7 



The nerves entering the liver are derived from the 

 systems both of animal and of organic life ; the former 

 spring from the right phrenic and pneumogastric 

 nerves, the latter from the hepatic plexus of the great 

 sympathetic track. 



THE MINUTE STRUCTURE of this wonderful laboratory 

 is composed of a vast number of bodies, called lobules, 

 which do not exceed in size a millet seed, or a " homoeo- 

 pathic globule;" nevertheless each lobule contains all 

 the elementary parts of which the entire organ is 

 constructed namely, branches of the hepatic artery 

 and veins, branches of the portal veins, branches of the 

 hepatic ducts and secreting cells. 



The portal veins, hepatic artery, and hepatic duct 



are enclosed in a sheath of fibro-cellular tissue, called 



'* Glissou's capsule ; " they enter the liver together at 



msvene tissuiv, and ramify throughout the whole 



stance of the organ. 



1'ii YsioL'M;!' -ALLY. The portal vein distributes its 

 lies through portal canals, which are channelled 

 throughout i-\ ion of the organ, however minute ; 



it cm turning blood from the chylo-poietic 



viscera ; it likewise collects the venous blood from the 

 extreme ramifications of the hepatic artery in the sub- 

 stance of the liver itself. It gives oil branches in 

 the canals, called va-inal, and form venous vagi mil 

 plexuses'; these give oil i,tt>-r-lnlnil,ir branches, and the 

 !ie lobules and form lobular venous plexuses, 

 from the blood circulating in which the bile is secreted. 



The bile so secreted in these lobular plexuses is now 



received by a network of minute ducts, the lobular 



nj j>l> /</.**, and conveyed from the lobule into the 



