1716 



HUMAN ANATOMY. 



however, never lie on the narrow sides of the liver-cells opposed to the blood- 

 vessels, the bile-canal never separating the blood-capillary from the cell. While the 

 predominating direction of the bile-capillaries is radial and corresponds to the 



FIG. 1448. 



;; f Blood -capillary 



Bile-capillary 



Liver-cell 



FIG. 



1449- 



Section of liver in which both blood- and bile-capillaries have been injected ; the latter surround the individual liver* 



cells. X 300. 



similar general disposition of the cylinders or leaflets of hepatic tissue, the radial 

 arrangement is converted into a net-work by the numerous cross-branches. The 

 resulting meshes correspond in size with the individual liver-cells, which, in appro- 

 priate sections, often appear almost com- 

 pletely surrounded by the bile-capillaries. 

 The latter possess no walls other than the 

 substance of the liver-cells between which 

 they lie. The diameter of the bile-capil- 

 laries, from .ooi-.oo2 mm., remains prac- 

 tically the same throughout the lobule until 

 the canaliculi reach the extreme periphery. 

 At this point the liver-cells abruptly dimin- 

 ish in height and are transformed into the 

 low cuboidal cells lining the excretory tubes 

 that pass from the lobule into the surround- 

 ing connective tissue to become tributaries 

 to the larger interlobular bile-ducts. 



The ultimate relations between the 

 bile-capillaries and the liver-cells is still a 

 subject of discussion. Based upon the evi- 

 dence supplied by injections and silver 

 impregnations, it is believed by some 

 ( Knpffer, R. Krause, and others) that ex- 

 tensionsof the bile-capillaries normally e\i>t 

 within the substance of the cells, thus form- 

 in^ intratfllular xfc>,iion canaliculi. The latter are sometimes pictured as ending in 

 connection with minute dilatations or secretion racuolcs. While it seems certain 

 that such appearances an- not artifacts, or in the least due to changes after death of 



Section of liver treated by Golgi silver method, 



sliti\\in.n IIMII of intralohular not-work of bile-capil- 



