An attempt
had been made to remove a liver-tumor the size of a fist by
constricting the base with an elastic ligature. This attempt was
a failure, and cure was also unsuccessfully attempted by wire
ligature and the thermocautery. The growth was cut away, bleeding
was arrested by the thermocautery and by iron-solution, the wound
entirely healed, and the patient recovered. Valerian von Meister
has proved that the liver has marvelous powers of regeneration,
and that in rabbits, cats, and dogs, even three-fourths of the
organ may be reproduced in from forty-five to sixty-five days.
This regeneration is brought about chiefly by hypertrophy of the
lobules.
Floating liver is a rare malady in which the liver forms an
abdominal prominence that may be moved about, and which changes
its situation as the patient shifts the attitude. The condition
usually arises from a lax abdominal wall following repeated
pregnancies. The accompanying illustration exhibits a typical
case verified by postmortem examination.
Hypertrophy of the Liver.--The average weight of the normal liver
is from 50 to 55 ounces, but as noted by Powell, it may become so
hypertrophic as to weigh as much as 40 pounds. Bonet describes a
liver weighing 18 pounds; and in his "Medical and Surgical
Observations," Gooch speaks of a liver weighing 28 pounds.
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