760 



made near Whaley and Congleton in Cheshire, and Chapel-en-le- 

 frith in Derbyshire, and also of other observations made for the Cor- 

 poration of Liverpool at Rivington and in the valley of Roddlesworth 

 near Preston in Lancashire, which have been communicated to him. 

 The whole of these observations, carefully analysed and compared, 

 have led the author to a conclusion opposite to that arrived at by 

 Mr. Miller. 



The author then proceeds to show that the details of Mr. Miller's 

 own observations are in accordance with his, and that they fully bear 

 out his views, and not those of that gentlem.an. Some apparent dis- 

 crepancies in the results are pointed out and their cause explained 

 by reference to peculiarities in the localities in w^hich the observa- 

 tions w^ere made, as shown by reference to a map accompanying this 

 paper, and to the details given by Mr. Miller ; so that the observa- 

 tions of this gentleman, when examined with reference to localit}^ 

 fully confirm those of the author and of the authorities he has quoted, 

 and establish the proposition, that as a general law, the quantity of 

 rain deposited in the valleys and at the bottoms of hills is greater than 

 in more elevated situations in the same locality. 



" Microscopical examination of the contents of the Hepatic Ducts." 

 By Thomas Wharton Jones, Esq., F.R.S. 



On a microscopical examination of the matter contained in the 

 larger hepatic ducts, the author has observed what he considers the 

 debris of broken-up hepatic cells, in the form of free nuclei, a granu- 

 lous substance, oil-globules and fragments of cell- walls ; while in 

 the matter contained in the smaller branches of the duct, entire cells 

 of hepatic parenchyma may, in addition, be seen. These facts the 

 author adduces as proofs that the cells of hepatic parenchyma are 

 analogous to the endogenous cells, or true secretory corpuscles of 

 the pancreas and other glands ; and he infers that as the endogenous 

 cells of other glands are constantly being reproduced, successively 

 cast off, received into the radicles of the ducts (into which the con- 

 taining vesicles or tubules of the former open), broken up and re- 

 solved into the secreted matter, so the cells of hepatic parenchyma 

 are received into the radicles of the hepatic duct as they are succes- 

 sively cast off, and are there broken up and resolved into bile. This 

 conclusion, namely, that the hepatic cells are analogous to the en= 

 dogenous cells of other glands, as was first suggested by Professor 

 Henle of Heidelberg, and not to glandular vesicles as has been as- 

 sumed by some, the author considers as throwing light on the 

 anatomical relation of the hepatic cells to the radicles of the hepatic 

 ducts. 



" Researches on the Function of the Intercostal Muscles, and on 

 the Respiratory Movements, with some remarks upon Muscular 

 Power in Man." By Dr. John Hutchinson. Communicated by Sir 

 Benjamin C. Brodie, Bart, F.R.S. 



This paper is an abridgement of a former one, bearing the same 

 title, by the same author, which was read to the Society on the 17th 



