. . .lass, running to the opposite extreme, believe that the liver is not merely the excretive, but also the formative organ of the bile. It appears to me, however, that neither of these extreme views is correct, and that the truth lies between the two.

It is, in fact, not at all difficult to prove that the liver manufactures certain biliary constituents, while it merely excretes others. Thus, for example, the two substances glycocholic and taurocholic acids are never to be found either in the blood, tissues, or fluids of the healthy organism, with the single exception of those of the liver and gall-bladder; and after extirpation of the liver neither acid is to be found in the body at all. On the other hand, such substances as cholesterine and biliverdine, are not peculiar to the liver or its secretion, but are the products of several organs, and are always to be detected in the blood, independently of the presence or absence of the liver. These facts, therefore, cle. . . Read More