390 
DR. LIONEL BEALE ON THE 
point where the secreting cells commence. This drawing is an exact copy of a 
beautiful preparation of a very fatty pig’s liver which had been injected, and the 
parts which were injected in the preparation are represented in the drawing by the 
dotted shading. The continuity of the narrow duct with the wide tubes in which 
the secreting cells lie is well shown, in consequence of this part being accidentally 
separated from the adjoining portion. 
The extremely delicate nature and narrowness of the ducts will readily explain the 
difficulty of demonstrating their continuity with the cell-containing network, particu- 
larly in the pig’s liver, for they almost invariably break at this constricted portion, 
especially as this partly lies in the substance of the capsule of the lobule. I have 
seen the same anatomical point in many specimens, but in none more distinctly than 
in the preparation referred to, which still preserves its essential characters (June 9th, 
1856). 
In Plate XV. fig. 19, the connexion between the small ducts and the cell-containing 
network is shown in an injected specimen of human liver. The duct is greatly dis- 
tended with injection, and the hepatic cells have been much altered in preparing 
the specimen. The communications between the finest branches of the duct are few 
in the human liver ; a branch can often be followed for some distance amongst 
the meshes of the peripheral part of the cell-containing network, until it is seen to 
become continuous with it at some distance from the surface. These branches can 
only be seen in injected specimens. 
In Plate XV. figs. 20 & 21, the connexion between the ducts and secreting network 
is shown in an uninjected liver, which had been treated with soda, and kept for some 
time in strong syrup. The liver-cells have been destroyed by the mode of prepara- 
tion. The narrow duct is well seen at a, fig. 21. The other specimen has been sub- 
jected to considerable pressure. 
In the human foetus, the connexion between the duct and cell-containing network 
is shown under the influence of a low power in Plate XIV. fig. 14 a, and also in 
figs. 12 & 13. 
In a seal’s liver which I injected; the hepatic cells were small, and the injection 
very readily passed into the cell-containing network. The small ducts are compara- 
tively few in number, but their course was very easily traced. Often they could be 
readily followed upon the thin wall of a small portal vein, as shown in Plate XIV. 
figs. 15 & 16. In the latter figure, small branches of the duct are seen passing 
amongst the superficial branches of the cell-containing network to join some of those 
at a deeper part. At c, two or three branches are seen, which were connected with 
that portion of the network nearest to the large duct. 
Fig. 1 1 is a drawing of a section of a rabbit’s liver, taken from a very thin and 
emaciated animal, in which the cells were much smaller and more granular than 
in health. The tubes of the network were shriveled, and in many situations con- 
tained only granular matter. In a thin section of this liver, narrow granular lines. 
