804 REPORT — 1894. 



tance physiologically, and it is tempting to conjecture that it is these cells which 

 are specially concerned in eil'ecting that influence upon the metabolism of carbo- 

 hydrates which experiment has shown to be peculiar to the pancreas. 



The lesson to be drawn from these results is clear. There is no organ of the 

 body, however small, however seemingly unimportant, which we can presume tO' 

 neglect ; for it may be, as with the supra-renal ciipsules, the thyroid gland, and 

 the pancreas, that the balance of assimilation and nutrition, upon the proper main- 

 tenance of which the health of the whole organism immediately depends, hinges 

 upon the integrity of such obscure structures ; and it is the maintenance of this 

 balance which constitutes health — its disturbance, disease. Nor, on the other 

 hand, dare we, as the investigation of the attraction-particle has shown, afford to 

 disregard the most minute detail of structure of the body. 



' All is concenter'd in a life intense, 

 Where not a beam, nor air, nor leaf is lost, 

 But hath a part of being.' 



The following Papers were read : — 

 1. On the Absorption of Poisons, By Professor P. Heger, Brussels. 



2. On, a New Theory of Hearing. By C. H. HuRST, Ph.D. 



3. On the Fats of the Liver. {A preliminary Communication.) 

 By D. Noel Paton. 



It is pointed out that while the liver has been demonstrated to play an impor- 

 tant part in the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteids, its possible connection 

 with the metabolism of fats has not been investigated. 



In the present series of observations an attempt is made to elucidate — 



A. The Source of Liver Fats. 



I. Are they directly stored from the fat in the food ? 



a. Do they accumulate in the liver after a meal containing fats ? 



b. Does the quantity of fats in the liver bear any proportion to the quantity 



of glycogen ? 



II. Are they formed from the fats in the adipose tissue of the body ? 



a. Consideration of phosphorus poisoning. 



b. Relative amount of fats in liver and adipose tissue during starvation. 



III. Are they formed during the katabolism of the protoplasm of liver cells ? 



B. Fate of Liver Fats. 



Before investigating these points certain preliminary observations were 

 necessary. 



1. What is the best method of extracting the fats? Soxhlet's method was 

 adopted. 



2. How much of the ether extract is composed of true 'fats? ' For saponifi- 

 cation and estimation of the ' fatty acids ' the method given by Hoppe Seyler, 

 the method of Lebedeff, and the method of Kossel and Ohermiiller were tested. 

 The last was found most satisfactory. 



A large series of observations shows that the fatty acid in the ether 

 extract varies much — from 40 to 70 per cent. — averaging about 65 per cent. 



3. Is the proportion of fatty acids the same in the liver as in the ordi- 

 nary fats of the body ? Lebedeil''s method was used. The solid acids (palmitic 

 and stearic) are to oleic acid on an average as 1 to 1-.5 ; in fishes, 1 to 3'5. This 

 agrees with one or two previous estimations. In the fats of the body Lebedeff 

 found in a lipoma 1 to 2'37, and in subcutaneous fat 1 to 5-11, 



