The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the biochemical and morphologicalchanges in the liver under the influence of steroidhormones. In several groups of ratswith normal or damaged liver, the author has examined on liver weight-body weightratio, liver protein, liver lipides, the collagen content of the liver and histological picturesof the liver of rats, with special reference to the changes by adrenalectomy, castrationand the administration of steroidhormones. The results were as follows;
1) By adrenalectomy, liver weight-body weight ratio, liver protein decreased, but therewas no significant difference in liver lipides and the collagen content.
By castration, there were no marked changes in liver lipides, while collagen contentincreased, the connective tissue increased slightly and there was a tendency to the development of the fibrosis.
2) Decreases in liver protein and the collagen content were found in the normal ratsreceiving small doses of cortisone and increases in those receiving large doses. Histologicalfindings showed the enlargement of liver cells and the degeneration of nuclei.
The administration of androgen to the normal rats was followed by increases inamounts of liver protein and liver lipides. However, no significantchanges were foundin the collagen content as well as histological findings.
The administration of estrogen to the normal rats was followed by decreases in liverprotein, increases in liver lipides and the collagen content.
3) The protective effects of steroidhormones on the reversible and chronic poisoningcaused by repeated inhalation of CCL₄ vapour were examined. Small doses of cortisonewere followed by increases in liver protein, decreases in liver lipides and the collagencontent, compared with the normal controls, moreover, there was a tendency to controlthe fibrosis histologically, but it was not so significant in the case of large doses ofcortisone was in the former.
4) The therapeutic effects of steroidhormones in the process of the recovery on theestablished liver damage induced by the inhalation of CCL₄ vapour were examined.
Small doses of cortisone after liver being damaged were followed by decreases in liverprotein and the collagen content, increases in liver weight-body weight ratio and liverprotein in large doses.
The administration of androgen after liver being damaged was followed by increasesin liver protein, decreases in liver lipides and the collagen content.
The administration of estrogen after liver being damaged was followed by decreasesin liver lipides and the collagen content.
Castration after liver being damaged was followed by increases in liver protein anddecreases in the collagen content, compared with the normal controls.
The administration of androgen after castration showed the same results as the castratedrats.
The administration of cortisone with androgen was followed by increases in liverprotein, decrenses in liver lipides and the collagen content, compared with the normalcontrols.
The administration of cortisone with estrogen was followed by decreases in liver lipides, increases in the collagen content.

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Serum alkaline phosphatase was estimated in 316 patients with various diseases of theliver and biliary ducts, and the result for each disease was examine. In patients withdisease of the biliary ducts of whom the condition of the biliary ducts was confirmedeither by operation or by autopsy, the level of alkaline phosphatase determined wasevaluated in terms of the results of test for obstruction of the biliary ducts, liver functiontest and liver biopsy.
Serum alkaline ohosphatase was increased in patients with biliary duct obstruction, ofcourse; it was increased in some of the patients free from obstruction of the biliaryducts also. It was shown that in the latter case the presence of inflammation in theintrahepatic ducts had an important bearing on the level of serum alkaline phosphatase.
Fractionation of serum was carried out by paper electrophoresis, using sera containingmore than 10 units of alkaline phosphatase, in order to investigate in what protein fractionthe activity of alkaline phosphatese, and its maximum activity, would be located. It wasshown that the activity or alkaline phosphatase was present almost in a2 fraction in allthe diseases under examination-cholecystolithiasis, cancer of the gallbladder, cancer ofthe stomach with liver metastasis and Hodgkin's disease.

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The present studies were carried out on protein absorption in experimental animalsand in human, beings with various diseases by means of measurement of blood andvisceral levels of radioactivity following the administration of radioactive iodine (I¹³¹)-labeled albumin.
The results obtained were as follows.
1) The absorption of I 131-labeled albumin was remarkably impaired in dogs undergonepancreatic duct ligation, in those received olive oil infusion into pancreatic duct following pancreatic duct ligation, or infusion of olive oil into parenchyma' of the pancreas and inthose with ethionine injured pancreas. The impairment was definitely prominent in totalpancreatectomized dogs. On the other hand, alloxan diabetized dogs showed mildestimpairment in the absorption, the degree of the impairment in dogs with carbon tetrachlorideinduced liver injury was just between that of the pancreas injuries and ofalloxan diabetes.
2) The visceral radioactivity distribution per total viscera weight demonstrated thehighest radioactivity in the liver, next in the middle part of, and lower in the upperpart of the small intestine and the lowest in the heart, in one hour, whereas in threehours, the liver was still most radioactive, and, however, the lungs, the next, lower partof the small intestine, least radioactive. The visceral level of radioactive iodine was.highest in the lowar part of, and next high in the upper part of the small intestine, lower in the kidney, heart and lower part of the small intestine, and lowest in the liverin one hour, while in three hours, the highest radioactivity was observed in the liver, next in the lungs and the lowest radioactive level, in the middle part of the smallintestine.
3) Clinical cases of chronic pancreatitis showed a marked impairment in absorption'of the test meal, of which the degree was in parallel with that of the vagostigminereaction. The absorption was also considerably impaired in tumors of the head of thepancreas, was slightly impaired in gastric and duodenal ulcer, chronic hepatitis and.cirrhosis of the liver, and was almost not different from the normal in diabetes.
Concluding the above, the I¹³¹-labeled albumin absorption test seemed to indicate theimpairment of protein absorption according to its degree in pancreatic disorders as wellas in diseases of the liver and gall bladder and so on. We are convinced that this test: reflects pancreatic insufficiency particularly well, although not specifically, and, therefore, that it may yield information of real value in diagnosis of pancreatic disorders.

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Changes in serum trypsin was investigated in pancreatic insufficiency by means of amodification of Conway's micro-diffusion technique using a-benzoy-1-arginine as a substrateand the following results were obtained.
1) Following intravenous injection of lyophilized crystalline trypsin to dogs, a rise inserum trypsin approximately proportional to the quantity of trypsin iujected was observed.
2) In the dogs only undergone laparotomy, no significant fluctuation was noted in serumtrypsin.
3) Serum trypsin was highest in dogs undergone pancreatic duct ligation followingintrapancreatic injection of their own bile, lower in those undergone the ligation followingolive oil injection and lowest in pancreatic duct ligated dogs. The changes in serumtrypsin did not differ much from that in serum amylse, while in comparison with serumlipase, the rise and fall in serum trypsin made its appearence in earlier stages. Serumtrypsin was, in addition, tended to show a considerable high value in the cases died afew days after the operation so that the degree of the elevation in serum trypsin considered, to some extent, to indicate the prognosis of pancreatic insufficiency. Histologically, findings of inflammation was evident in the stage of high serum trypsin.
4) Clinical cases of pancreatic disorders had higher serum trypsin levels as comparedto the other diseases. On the occasion of acute phase of the inflammation, the olevationin serum trypsin was associated with that in serum amylase, the degree of the elevationwas high in both. On the other hand, in chronic inflammatory phase, the frequencies ofelevation in trypsin and in amylase were almost not different from each other, and, however, cases were not infrequently encountered in whom the degree of the elevationwas higher in the trypsin that in the amylase. A positive correlation was noticed botweenthe level of serum trypsin and the degree of tha elevation in serum amylase followingthe vagostigmine lording.
From the above, it is assumed that pancreatic trypsin as well as amylase and lipaseis to be derailed into the blood in pancreatic disorder, the picture of which is reflectedwell by serum trypsin. The present author has, therefore been convinced that serumtrypsin is one of the best diagnostic aids available for pancreatic disorders.

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The author has performed the bacteriological study of the bile in the gallbladders of the12 cases of the diseases of the biliary tract and of the 20 cases of the other abdomined. diseases as a control. The following results were obtained.
1) There were found the bacteria in 83% of the group of the diseases of the biliarytract and in 15% of the control group. All the bacteria-positive cases of the control groupwere gastric cancer and corresponded to 50% of the examined gastric cancer cases.
2) As for the kind of the found bacteria, there were no differences between the group
of the diseases of the biliary tract and the control group.
3) In the finding of the bacteria, there were no significant differences between thethe diseases of the biliary tract with stone and those without one.

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