508 DIGESTION. 



tion that sugar thus found has been formed after death, blood 

 ten taken from the right side of the heart, or vena cava, 

 and the quantity of sugar it contained compared with a similar 

 specimen of blood from the jugular vein. Every precaution 

 was taken to avoid disturbance of the circulation, yet the 

 suu:a r in the former was found to exceed that in the latter con- 

 siderably (Lusk). 



** 154. Mode of demonstrating the Glycogenic 

 Function of the Liver. The Liver contains Sugar which 

 ran In' ?vmov</ hi/ Washing. Kill a large rabbit in full diges- 

 tion, by decapitation with a long knife. Open the abdomen, 

 remove the liver, and place it in a large flat dish, such as is 

 used for photographic purposes. Tie a canula into the portal 

 vein, anil another into the hepatic vein. Pass a stream of 

 wah.-r through the portal vein. This may be effected by a 

 syringe ; but a more convenient method is to connect the 

 canula in the portal vein by means of India-rubber tubing with 

 a pre>suiv-l>ottle containing water. (See page 1 14.) Proceed 

 in rvt-ry respect as in injecting the liver for anatomical pur- 

 poses, using ;v pressure of two or three feet of water. The 

 liquid which Hows from the hepatic vein as the water enters 

 the portal vein, will be at first blood, then blood diluted with 

 water, and, lastly, pure water. Collect portions of each of 

 the>e fluids in small beakers as they flow out. The remainder 

 which is not collected is allowed to run into the dish in which 

 the liver lies. Te-t each of the fluids for grape sugar. It will 

 be found in the portions first collected, the quantity gradually 

 diminishing as the washing is continued. Eventually it disap- 

 A How the stream to flow until none can be detected by 

 any of the tots described in the next paragraph. 



As soon as this is the case, disconnect the canula without 

 loss of time, and cut the liver into three pieces. Mince one of 

 them as rapidly as possible, put it immediately into water boil- 

 ing briskly, and acidulate it very slightly with acetic acid, to 

 coagulate the albumin. Put another into strong alcohol for a 

 minute or two, pour off the alcohol, and squeeze the remainder 

 of it from the liver. Then cut it up small, cover it with abso- 

 lute alcohol and let it stand. Allow the third piece of liver to 

 lie on the table. After the liver has been boiled for a few min- 

 utes filter the water from it. The filtrate is milky. Test it for 

 sugar. If the operation has been rapidly performed, little or 

 none will be found, showing that all the sugar has been re- 

 moved from the liver. 



// /> (njaiii fnrmrd in the Liver after its removal by 



Wndtin-j. After the third piece of liver has lain on the ta\)le 

 for some time, cut it up and boil it like the first ; filter, and test 



for sugar ; in most cases it will be found. As there was none 



