Fig. i 7 i.-Schematic diagram 

 of hepatic cord in transverse sec- 

 tion. At the left the bile capillary 

 is formed by four cells, at the right 



226 NORMAL HISTOLOGY AND ORGANOGRAPHY. 



the walls of the bile ducts and blood-vessels, and 

 doubtless some of this arterial blood finds its way 



into the liver capillaries 

 where it blends with the 

 venous blood from the 

 portal vein. 



From the center of each 

 lobule toward its periph- 

 ery irregular strands of 

 liver cells radiate ana 

 freely anastomose with 

 Davidoff). each other, as well as in- 



terlace between the blood 



capillaries. These are called hepatic cords and con- 

 sist of double irregular rows of liver cells. The 

 cords constitute the 

 bile capillaries and 

 unite at the periph- 

 ery of the lobule 

 with the bile ducts 

 of the portal canal, 

 situated between the 

 lobules. The bile 

 capillaries, there- 

 fore, are very fine 

 tubes lying between 

 the liver cells that 

 constitute its walls. 

 These tubes anasto- 

 mose freely with 

 each other and are the terminal endings of the bile 

 passages or its secreting portions. The liver, as a 



Bile capillaries. 



Fig. 172. From the human liver, 

 showing the beginning of the bile ducts 

 (chrome-silver) (Bohm and Davidoff). 



