212 ELEMENTS OF HISTOLOGY. [Chap. xxvu. 



centre of the acinus the capillaries become con- 

 fluent into one large vein, the central or intralobular 

 vein. The intralobular veins of several neighbouring 

 acini join so as to form the sublobular veins, and 

 these lead into the efferent veins of the liver, or 



Fig. 124. From a Vertical Section through the Liver of Rabbit ; the 

 Blood-vessels and Bile-vessels injected. 



a, Intcrlobular veins surrounded by interlolnilar bile-ducts ; these latter take up 

 the network of fine intralobular bile capillaries; the meshes of this net- 

 work correspond to the liver cells; b, the intralobular or central vein. 

 (Atlas.) 



the hepatic veins, which finally pass into the vena 

 cava inferior. 



280. The substance of each acinus i.e., the 

 tissue between the capillary blood-vessels is com- 

 posed of uniform polygonal protoplasmic epithelial 

 cells, of about T ^Vo^h of an inch in diameter ; these 

 are the liver cells. Owing to the peculiar, more or 

 less radiating, arrangement of the capillaries, the liver 

 cells appear to form columns or cylinders, also more 

 or less radiating from the periphery towards the 



