DOES THE LIVER FABRICATE SUGAR? 50 7 
head was severed from the body and the cranial cavity 
opened. 
It is important that the practitioner should satisfy himself, 
if possible, as to whether the brain was primarily affected, 
or whether the disease complained of— ophthalmia —was 
or was not a result of the affection of the brain and its 
membranes. I incline to the opinion that the brain was first 
affected, although not observed. I do not consider that 
acute inflammation existed, but that congestion of the 
vessels, associated, perhaps, with slight apoplexy, was pre¬ 
sent, and not giving rise only to effusion of the serum of the 
blood, but also to some of the red particles from the vessels. 
If this be so, we can account for the rusty aspect which per¬ 
vaded the parts, and also for the deposit of lymph which 
was met with. We can also understand how vision became 
interfered with, when we reflect on the effects which the pres¬ 
sure of the effused matter would have upon the cerebral 
hemisphere generally. 
Facts and Observations, 
DOES THE LIVER FABRICATE SUGAR? 
In the c Guy’s Hospital Reports/ Dr. Pavy has published 
a memoir on what he calls the pretended glycogenic function 
of the liver. He therein announces—1st. That the blood 
taken from the right ventricle of living animals contains only 
an exceedingly minute quantity of sugar. 
2d. That the liver itself in a normal state contains 
scarcely any sugar. 
Dr. Pavy shows, moreover, that when the liver contains 
much sugar, it has been subjected to causes which have 
altered and transformed the glycogenic materials which it 
contains. When much sugar is found in the blood of a living- 
animal, the liver has been subjected to congestion, or com¬ 
pression, &c. From all which it follows, according to Dr. 
Pavy, that the liver has not the function of forming sugar. 
In another memoir Dr. Pavy shows that the liver enlarges 
notably in dogs fed on amylaceous matters, or flesh and sugar, 
and that in animals the quantity of glycogenic material in 
the liver becomes greater than in animals fed on flesh. 
From which it results that the glycogenic materials of the 
liver appear to be derived from feculent and saccharine foods.— 
Journal de Physiologies 
