188 ANATOMY FOR NURSES. [CHAP. XV. 



branches penetrate between the lobules, and, surrounding and 

 lying between each lobule, are known as the interlobular 

 branches. From the interlobular branches of the portal vein, 

 thus surrounding the circumference of each lobule, run capillary 

 vessels, somewhat like the spokes of a wheel. These capillaries, 

 converging towards the centre, merge into a veinlet, the intra- 

 lobular vein, which running down the middle of the lobule, 

 empties into a vein at its base. This vein, lying at the base of 

 each lobule, is called the sublobular vein, and empties its con- 

 tents into the hepatic veins, by means of which the blood is 

 conveyed from the back of the liver into the inferior vena cava. 



FIG. 120. DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF Two HEPATIC LOBULES. The 

 left hand lobule is represented with the intralobular vein cut across ; in the right 

 hand one the section takes the course of the intralobular vein, p, interlobular 

 branches of the portal vein ; h, intralobular branches of the hepatic veins ; s, sub- 

 lobular vein ; c, capillaries of the lobules. The arrows indicate the direction of the 

 course of the blood. The liver-cells are only represented in one part of each lobule. 



Thus each lobule is a mass of hepatic cells, pierced everywhere 

 with a network of blood capillaries. 



The bile ducts commence between the hepatic cells in the 

 form of fine canaliculi lying between the adjacent sides of two 

 cells and forming a close network, the meshes of which corre- 

 spond in size to the cells. At the circumference of the lobules, 

 these fine canalieuli pass into the interlobular bile ducts which, 

 running in connection with the blood-vessels, finally empty into 

 the two bile ducts which leave the liver at the opening, spoken 

 of above as the "gate of the liver." 



The cells of the liver manufacture bile from the blood, and 



