THE HEPATIC CONNECTIVE TISSUE 



323 



organ at the hepatic duct, thus reaching the gall bladder and 



intestine by means of the cystic and common bile ducts. In all 



their course the bile 



ducts are in close 



relation with the 



radicals of the por- 



tal vein and of the 



hepatic artery, the 



group of vessels 



forming the so- 



called portal canals. 

 THE HEPATIC 



CONNECTIVE TIS- 



SUE. The hepatic 



connective tissue, or 



the supporting tis- 



sue of the liver, in- a- 



cludes the capsule 



of the organ and the 



capsule of Glisson, 



the latter form- 



ing a framework 



throughout the liver and inclosing its hexagonal lobules together 



with the more delicate intralobular reticulum. These tissues 



convey the blood vessels, 

 lymphatics, nerves, and bile 

 ducts. 



The fibrous framework, 

 which forms both the outer 

 fibrous capsule of the liver 

 and the capsule of Glisson, 

 contains both fibrous and 

 elastic tissue, the latter being 



FIG. 266. THE RETICULUM OF THE DOG'S LIVER. 

 a, central vein ; 6, capsule of Glisson at the margin of 

 the lobule. Gold chlorid. x 120. (After Bohm and von 

 Davidoff.) 



FIG. 267. STELLATE CELLS OF VON KUPFEB fairly abundant, a fact which 



IN THE LIVER OF A DOG. sharply contrasts with the 



<7, capillary blood vessel; J, hepatic cells; com plete absence of elastic 

 st, stellate cells. Goldchlorid. x 200. (After , ,, . , . , 



Koiiiker.) fibres from the interior of 



the hepatic lobules. 



The intralobular connective tissue is extremely delicate, and 

 consists of very fine Jjbrils an(L stellate cells (von Kupfer) which 

 form a delicate reticulum in which the capillary blood vessels and 



