J. LeConte—Glycogenic function of the Liver. 101 
of the sugar is arrested in the liver, changed into a less soluble sub- 
Jrom circulation and stored in the liver. The stored amylod is 
then slowly re-changed to sugar, but in the more oxidable form of 
liver-sugar,and_ re-delivered, little by little, to the blood by the 
hepatic vein, as the necessities of combustion for animal heat 
and vital force require. 
The views thus far presented have been held with more or 
less firmness by most physiologists since Bernard’s discovery of 
this function. In what follows I have attempted only to push 
these views to what seems to me their legitimate conclusions. 
It will be observed that there is here a double change in op- 
posite directions. The liver seems to change sugar by dehy- 
dration into glycogen only to change by rehydration glycogen 
ack again into sugar. At first sight there seems to be, there- 
fore, a waste of force such as never occurs in the animal body. 
This has been urged by Pavy and others as an objection to 
this double change, as a fact. But there are at least two good 
Teasons for this double change. First: A large quantity of 
sugar (glucose) in. the blood is very hurtful. The experiments of 
Dr. Wier Mitchell, of Philadelphia, have prov that large 
