SECRETION OF THE BILE. 339 



other by their adjacent surfaces, being separated only by the inter- 

 lobular veins and the minute branches of the hepatic artery and 

 duct previously mentioned. 



From the sides of the interlobular veins, and also from their 

 terminal extremities, there are given off capillary vessels, which 

 penetrate the substance of each lobule and converge from its cir- 

 cumference toward its centre, inosculating at the same time freely 

 with each other, so as to form a minute vascular plexus, the " lobu- 

 lar" capillary plexus. (Fig. 109.) At the centre of each lobule, the 



Fig. 109. 



LOBTLE OF LIVER, showing distribution of bloodvessels ; magnified 22 diameters. n. a. In- 

 terlobular veins. 6. Intralobular vein, c, c, c. Lobular capillary plexus, d, d. Twigs of inter- 

 lobular vein passing to adjacent lobules. 



converging capillaries unite into a small vein (b), the " intralobu- 

 lar" vein, which is one of the commencing rootlets of the hepatic 

 vein. These rootlets, uniting successively with each other, so as 

 to form larger and larger branches, finally leave the liver at its 

 posterior edge, to empty into the ascending vena cava. 



Beside the capillary bloodvessels of the lobular plexus, each 

 acinus is made up of an abundance of minute cellular bodies, about 

 T^Vtf of an inch in diameter, the "hepatic cells." (Fig. 110.) These 

 cells have an irregularly pentagonal figure, and a soft consistency. 

 They are composed of a homogeneous organic substance, in the 

 midst of which are imbedded a large number of minute granules, 

 and generally several well defined oil-globules. There is also a 

 round or oval nucleus, with a nucleolus, imbedded in the substance 



