Liver

the gland that secretes bile. It is the largest gland in the human body, and weighs from three to four pounds. It is a flat, broad, soft organ situated below the diaphragm, and fitting into its arched surface. The bile, a thin, yellow-green, alkaline liquid, is secreted by the liver, and is conveyed to the gall bladder or into the small intestine direct when digestion is going on. The liver serves also as a store house for excess sugar. The liver is susceptible to irritation from the use of alcohol. Alcoholic stimulants sometimes cause a thickening of the walls that form the framework that carry the cells of the liver until the cells become so crowded that they cannot do their work and death ensues. In such cases an examination reveals a liver covered with small knobs, due to the hardening and contracting of the connective tissue. A liver in this condition is called a hobnailed or gin-drinker's liver.