CHOLESTEROL OF THE BLOOD PLASMA IN HEPATIC AND BILIARY DISEASES

Abstract

As the liver is involved in a great many activities, it is not at all improbable that dissociated functional disturbances may arise when the organ is injured and that some functions are likely to suffer damage, whereas others remain intact or are only slightly affected. This may account for the invention of so many diverse liver function tests and the failure of any single one to satisfy the need for a uniformly accurate method of determining the functional capacity of the diseased liver. The studies have been directed toward the variations in the normal excretory and metabolic processes with which the liver is concerned. In addition, attempts have been made to evaluate the condition of the organ by increasing the burdens in tolerance tests with sugars, fats and proteins, as well as injection of pigments, exogenous substances such as dyes, cinchophen, etc. A discussion of the value of all these