ON THE ACTION OF MERCURY ON THE BILIARY SECRETION. 231 
portion to the rest of the body than it is in more advanced age. To ascer- 
tain whether or not there be anything in this idea would require observations 
to be made on dogs of various sizes and ages. The biliary secretion, amount 
and nature of food, and weight of the animal would require to be observed 
for three or four days; the animal ought then to be immediately killed and 
its liver weighed, and calculations based on such data. It is, however, 
improbable that the size of the liver determines the amount of the biliary 
secretion; the great variation which we frequently observed in the secre- 
tion from day to day in the same animal is opposed to such an idea, 
EFF£ct oF THE Loss OF Binz vPoN THE HEALTH OF THE ANIMAL. 
Although an animal may live in perfect health for a considerable time 
without any bile passing into its alimentary canal, it would appear, from the 
observations of all who have experimented on the subject, that, even when 
a fistula has been established without accident, the health sooner or later 
begins to suffer. Emaciation comes on, and death results from inanition. 
Much depends on the strength of the animal, which, when vigorous, usually 
preserve their health. 
Dog 7, the retriever sent us by Dr. Kelburne King of Hull, had the 
operation for biliary fistula performed on April 24, 1868. Notwithstanding 
the wearing of apparatus for collecting the bile during a period of nearly 
two months, partial poisoning with corrosive sublimate, purgation with 
podophylline, and dosing with taraxacum, the animal was on the 11th of 
September, 1868, when our observations terminated, as strong as it was 
before the fistula was made ; and so far from exhibiting any signs of emacia- 
tion, it had gained nearly 4 kilogrammes (8-8 pounds) in weight during the 
five months it lived, without a drop of bile passing into the intestines. Such 
a case favours the view of Blondlot and Arnold, as to the inutility of the 
bile for the purposes of digestion. It is in itself quite sufficient to show 
that the entrance of bile into the alimentary canal is not essential for the 
health of the animal, and supports the idea that the bile is a secretion 
destined to be little more than a mere excretion. 
Errect or Muscurar Movements vpon tue Frow or tue Bizz. 
It was frequently observed that when the dogs were taken out of their 
cages, in which their movements were much circumscribed, and allowed to 
run about, that during the first half hour or so of their increased movement 
the amount of bile discharged by the fistula was greatly augmented. This 
was in all probability due to the bile being more rapidly expelled from the 
hepatic ducts by the pressure upon the liver of the contracting abdominal 
muscles, which must, when in action, compress the liver like a sponge, and 
so expel its contained fluid. This fact is valuable in serving to show that 
exercise may have an important influence upon the liver. It further points 
out, however, how utterly fallacious must the results have been had we 
endeavoured to estimate the daily secretion of bile from collections made 
during a few minutes at a time, such as were made by Bidder and Schmidt, 
regarding which, however, we have previously expressed our opinion. 
It is unnecessary to dwell upon the importance of the results which the 
Committee have taken so much pains to arrive at. If the refutation of a 
widespread error be as important as the establishment of a new truth, the 
practical advantage of demonstrating that mercury is not a cholagogue can- 
not be too highly estimated. Although in recent times the administration of 
