In veterinary and medical works the diseases of the liver have been
accorded a minor place, ill in keeping with the great physiological
importance of the organ. If the function of the liver were circumscribed
by the mere secretion of bile there would be some excuse for the
apparent neglect, as the gland is so deeply situated and so much
enveloped in surrounding organs that physical exploration is difficult
and somewhat unsatisfactory, and the one symptom of jaundice was long
relied on as indicating hepatic disorder.
Taking into account all the varied functions of the liver we realize the
wide-reaching nature of its physiological influence and the extensive
and varied effect of its disorders. We can also deduce, with greater or
lesser certainty, the existence of hepatic disorders from the morbid
conditions of the blood or of organs, the functions of which are
inter-dependent with those of the liver. To elucidate the subject it is
well to trace some of the most prominent functions of the liver; the
following considerations are submitted.