Scientific Memoirs by
gated masses, composed of two rows of nuclei, to the large tubes lined with
cubical epithelium. They were found ramifying in every direction among the
fibres, some were seen in longitudinal, others in transverse section, and many were
branched. Those of large size had a distinct lumen, but no contents of any de
- s c r i p t i o n c o u l d b e s e e n . T h e n u m b e r a n d d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e b i l e d u c t s w e r e
irregular; in some sections comparatively few could be seen, and these only of
small size, while in other sections fifteen to twenty were found in a single inter
- l o b u l a r t r a c t . T h e s m a l l e r d u c t s w e r e m o r e n u m e r o u s t h a n t h o s e o f l a r g e s i z e ,
and were found not only in the fibrous tissue outside the lobules, but also among
the fibres between the cells of the peripheral portion of the lobules. The ducts
were most numerous in those parts of a section in which the liver substance was
destroyed, and its place occupied by fibrous tissue—bile ducts of various sizes
ramifying in every direction—and a few scattered masses of dark brown debris
which were the remains of the liver cells. This seemed to point to the form-
- a t i o n o f b i l e d u c t s b e i n g i n p r o p o r t i o n t o t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e l i v e r c e l l s . T h e
appearance of the bile ducts in an interlobular tract is shown in fig. 2. The
structure of a medium-sized duct is seen in figs. 3, and of a large duct in fig. 4.
One of the most striking features of these livers was the intercellular forma-
- tion of fibrous tissue. Fibres were found in every part of the lobules, and sepa
- r a t e d t h e h e p a t i c c e l l s i n t o g r o u p s , w h i c h , i n t h e l e s s d i s e a s e d l o b u l e s , w e r e
seen to be composed generally of five or six cells, sometimes of one or two only;
occasionally a large mass of liver cells was found forming a group, but in most
sections the destruction of the liver cells was complete and the fibres enclosed
masses of granular debri, which may have resulted from the degeneration of one
or several hepatic cells (vide fig. 5). In this figure the intercellular fibres are
seen to form a well marked meshwork, partly filled by the debris of the liver
cells. The intercellular fibres were equally well developed in every part of a
lobule, which would seem to point to their intralobular formation, and that they
were not produced by an extension inwards of fibres from the interlobular tracts.
This was confirmed by the appearances presented by case 5, in which the fibrous
tissue between the liver cells was abundant and universal, whereas the inter-
-
lobular tracts were small and only found between some of the lobules.
The liver cells were in a state of degeneration which was generally extreme,
as seen in fig. 5. In this drawing they are represented by structureless masses
of debris lying in the fibrous meshwork. In most lobules the condition of the
hepatic cells was as shown here; in some the destruction was less and the shape
of the cells was recognisable, but the nuclei were generally not visible and the
protoplasm was loaded with granules, pigment particles and minute oil globules.
Scattered throughout the sections a few groups, very rarely a small lobule, were
found of which the cells were nearly normal, but even in these some signs of
degeneration were visible, and in many of the cells two nuclei were visible. The
destruction of the liver cells may be said to be universal, those of a nearly nor-
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