H4 Life and Health 



which they elaborate into an important digestive fluid 

 called the bile. 1 



This newly manufactured fluid is then carried away from 

 the liver in little canals, called bile ducts, which gradually 

 unite and form at last one main duct, known as the hepatic 

 duct. It passes out on the underside of the liver, and as 

 it approaches the intestine it meets at an acute angle the 

 cystic duct proceeding from the gall bladder and forms 

 with it the common bile duct, which opens obliquely into the 

 horseshoe bend of the duodenum. 



The cystic duct leads back to the under surface of the 

 liver, where it expands into a sac capable of holding about 

 two ounces of fluid, known as the gall bladder (Fig. 58). 



Experiment 46. To show the action of bile. Obtain from the 

 butcher some ox bile. Note its bitter taste, peculiar odor, and green- 

 ish color. It is alkaline or neutral to litmus paper. Pour it from 

 one vessel to another, and note that strings of mucin (from the lining 

 membrane of the gall bladder) connect one vessel with the other. It 

 is best to precipitate the mucin by acetic acid before making experi- 

 ments, and to dilute the clear liquid with a little distilled water. 



Experiment 47. Test for bile pigments. Place a few drops of 

 bile on a white porcelain slab. With a glass rod place a drop or two 

 of strong nitric acid near the drop of bile ; bring the acid and bile 

 into contact. Notice the succession of colors, beginning with green, 

 and passing into blue, red, and yellow. 



Experiment 48. To show the action of bile on fats. Mix three 

 teaspoonfuls of bile with one-half a teaspoonful of almond oil or 

 sweet oil. Shake well, and keep the tube in a water bath at about 

 1 00 Fahr. A very good emulsion is obtained. 



1 The human bile when fresh is generally of a golden-yellow color and 

 of extremely bitter taste. It is slightly alkaline in reaction and contains a 

 great deal of pigment matter. When it has been vomited it is distinctly 

 yellow, because of its action on the gastric juice. About one pint of bile 

 is secreted in twenty-four hours. 



