Diseases of the Liver and Spleen. 101 
physiology,’ states that, after the anatomical study he has 
made of the disease, it appears to be sufficiently proved that 
it is not essentially an alteration of the liver; on the contrary, 
in the majority of cases this organ is perfectly healthy, and 
even less modified in its colour than many of the other 
tissues. It issometimes found slightly congested and ecchy- 
mosed, but this is more rare, and always in a lesser degree 
than the lungs, kidneys, and lymphatic glands. When it 
exists it is only a secondary phenomenon, indicating a 
general alteration in the organism, which is marked by a 
tendency to the production of capillary hemorrhage in 
different parts, and by no special lesion. The general 
-condition of the animals, the increase in the respiration 
and circulation, as well as the elevation of temperature 
before the appearance of the yellow colour externally, 
indicate, as a primary and fundamental phenomenon, an 
acutely inflamed condition of some tissue. And, later, the 
prostration, insensibility, and low temperature prove the 
existence of intoxication by a poison; this poison 
evidently results from the accumulation of bile—or, at 
least, of some of its constituents—in the blood. So that 
icterus, at first of an inflammatory nature, is soon compli- 
cated by the incessant accumulation of bile in the blood, 
from the moment that its characteristic symptom—yellow- 
ness of the tissues—is manifested. 
“Trasbot’s observations go to demonstrate that the 
mucous membrane of the duodenum is always violently 
inflamed, and that this inflammation is also somewhat 
frequently noticed in the stomach, and sometimes to a cer- 
tain extent in the small intestines. Exceptionally, circum- 
scribed inflammatory centres are found in the lungs and 
kidneys, around hemorrhagic points of recent date. But 
the inflammation is never absent in the duodenum, so that 
duodenitis should be considered as the primary condition 
and sine gué non in the development of icterus. This 
localisation, however, is not absolute, as often there is 
