290 



THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 



lymph-vessels. On examining a thick section of the liver with a 

 low power, a radiate structure of the lobule is noticeable, and an 

 open space is seen in its center, which according to the direction of 

 the section, is either completely surrounded by liver tissue or con 

 nected with the periphery of the lobule by a canal. This open 

 space represents the central or intralobular vein of the lobule which 

 belongs to the system of the inferior vena cava. From the center 

 of the lobule toward its periphery extend numerous radiating 

 strands of cells, which branch freely and anastomose with each 

 other, and are known as the trabecula, or cords of hepatic cells. Be- 

 tween the latter are small, clear spaces occupied partly by blood 

 capillaries and partly by the intralobular connective tissue. The above 

 description is in some respects not a true statement of the appear- 

 ance presented by the human liver, as in the latter one or more 

 lobules may blend with each other, thus rendering the individual 

 lobules less distinct. 



The hepatic cords consist of rows of hepatic cells. The cells 



Mortal inter- -~ 

 lobular 

 branch, cut 

 longitudi- 

 nally. 



The same, cut - 

 transversely. 



Fig. 228. Section through injected liver of rabbit. The boundaries of the lobules 

 are indistinct ; X about 35. 



are usually polyhedral in form, with surfaces so approximated that 

 a cylindric capillary space, known as the bile capillary remains be- 

 tween them. The angles of the cells also show grooves which 

 join those of the neighboring cells to form canals in which lie the 

 blood capillaries. A closer examination of the hepatic cells reveals 

 the fact that they possess no distinct membrane, and, in a resting 

 state, usually contain a single nucleus, although some possess two. 

 It is an interesting fact that nearlv all the hepatic cells of some 



