938 



THE EXTERNAL SECRETIONS 



CHAPTER LXXX 



THE DIGESTIVE SECRETIONS (CONTINUED) 

 C. BILE AND INTESTINAL JUICE 



The Liver. The liver is the largest gland in the body, and is in 

 origin a tubular gland which, in the course of its development, has lost 

 much of its original character. It is made up of rounded masses or 

 lobules which measure about 1.0 mm. in diameter and are composed of 

 columns of cells radiating from a common center. These cells possess 

 a spheroidal shape but have in many cases become polygonal on ac- 



FIG. 499. DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF THE BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE LIVER ACINI. 

 P, Portal terminal; JV, interlobubar veins; CV, central veins which are eventually 

 collected in the hepatic vein; HA, hepatic arteriole, the'interlobular capillaries of which 

 empty into the portal terminals; B, biliary capillary which begins as biliary space be- 

 tween the hepatic cells. 



count of their being packed so closely together. Their cytoplasm 

 contains a rounded and centrally placed nucleus, as well as fatty 

 particles, and variable amounts of glycogen. 



The blood supply of this organ is derived from two sources, namely from the 

 hepatic artery and the portal vein. The former supplies its reticular network, 

 i.e., the tissue of the extra- and interlobular spaces, while the latter nourishes the 



