AND FUNCTION OF THE LIVER. 
17 
central cells in the direction outward. How to account for the occasional presence 
of bile sometimes in the central, sometimes in the marginal cells, I do not know ; but 
the variability of its seat, as well as its frequent absence, testify, I think, against the 
view of the secretion of bile being an essential part of the function of the hepatic 
cells. I may remark that the seat of oily accumulation varies also as that of biliary ; 
in the livers of Dogs I have often found it in the central parts of the lobules around 
the intralobular vein ; this is, I think, less common than the other, and I can offer no 
explanation of it. 
Mr. Simon states to me, “ that in perfectly normal conditions among vertebrate 
animals, bile, to the best of my belief, cannot be demonstrated to exist in the hepatic 
cells, and I have for a long while strongly inclined to the belief that normally it 
never lies within them.” 
Professor Paget’s testimony is to the same effect : “ I quite agree with you that in 
the healthy livers of men the cells do not contain any coloured material, but I think 
I have seen their contents partially coloured yellow in other cases than those of 
congestion.” 
My belief therefore is, that in 'perfectly healthy states of the mammalian liver bile 
does not exist in its cells, that it is not in any case necessarily formed there, but that 
this may be always effected by the ducts. It remains then to inquire what circum- 
stances produce biliary impletion of the cells, so that they manifestly contain bile. 
Congestion of the portal-hepatic capillary plexus with blood, and this chiefly of a 
passive kind, I am inclined to regard as one principal cause. I have frequently 
observed in cases of heart-disease impeding the onward current of the blood, that the 
cells of the liver, especially those in the centres of the lobules, were gorged with bile. 
It is in the central part that congestion of blood is most frequently manifest ; here it 
commences as hepatic venous congestion of the first degree, and from hence it extends 
outwards towards the interlobular veins. This seems to indicate that a connection 
obtains between passive congestion of the blood-vessels and biliary impletion of the 
cells. Another, and probably not less frequent cause, especially of the slighter states, 
is the cessation, more or less complete, of the excretory action of the ultimate ducts, 
the spasm of the gall-ducts of former authors ; when this occurs, the biliary matter, 
not being eliminated from the blood by the ultimate ducts, is carried on in the blood 
current, and deposited in the parenchymal cells, thus producing jaundice of the liver, 
which, as Virchow remarks, must precede jaundice of the body when this is of hepatic 
origin. Biliary matter may also collect in the cells no doubt, when a larger quantity 
of it than natural is present in the mass of circulating blood, whether this depend on 
insufficient oxygenation in consequence of a sedentary life and rich feeding, or on 
certain atmospheric influences ; in this case the excess which the excretory ducts are 
unable to carry off passes on, and is deposited in the parenchyma. I think that the 
accumulation of a large amount of oil in the hepatic cells does not generally coincide 
with the existence of bile in them, and vice versa-, thus in the fatty liver of phthisis 
MDCCCLIII. 
D 
