THE CHEMISTKY OF THE LIVER 



647 



form hippuric acid as shown by the experiments of Friedman and Tachau, 

 and Lackner, Levinson and Morse. Certain drugs, such as camphor and 

 menthol, are combined with glucuronic acid by the liver, and thus rendered 

 harmless. Metals such as copper, arsenic, mercury are combined and 

 stored in the liver. 



Ewins and Laidlaw have shown that the surviving liver can convert 

 hydroxyphenylethylamin into hydroxyphenylacetic acid. Guggenheim 

 and Loeffler have further shown that phenylethylamin, hydroxyphenyleth- 

 ylamin, indolylethylamin and imidazolylethylamin. are deaminized and 

 oxidized by the liver; thus these poisonous products resulting from the 

 action of the intestinal bacteria on ammo acids are rendered harmless 

 by conversion into the corresponding alcohols and acids. Eustis has also 

 observed that the liver of the turkey buzzard can detoxicate histamin. 



The chemical changes which the amins undergo in the liver may be 

 formulated as follows: 



R-CH 2 NH 2 +H 2 O=RCH 2 OH+NH 3 

 RCOOH+H 2 O 



RCH 2 OH+O 2 = 



The detoxicating action of the liver on alkaloids is well known ; when 

 administered to Eck fistula dogs they escape the liver and produce a more 

 profound effect than when administered to normal dogs. 



BILE 



The Composition of Human Bile (Ro^cnbloom) 

 (parts per 100) 



Human bile is continuously secreted by the liver; it is stored in the 

 gall bladder and is intermittently ejected into the small intestine as a 

 result of the contraction of the muscle of the gall bladder and relaxation 

 of the sphincter of the common bile duct. This effect is probably due to 

 secretin, which is liberated by the action of hydrochloric acid of the 

 chyme on the intestine. The daily excretion of bile in the human varies 

 considerably. The average excretion is probably in the neighborhood of 

 800 c.c. In the dog, 200 to 300 c.c. are excreted each day. The inges- 

 tion of proteins stimulates the flow of bile more than do other foods. Bile 



