The history of human conceptions of the liver
In ancient times, physicians have an idea about the structure of the human body. The liver has been well studied anatomically, but its function remained unknown for centuries.
Ancients Chinese believed, that the liver is on the way got into the food chain of cosmic elements (water, fire, wood and metal), are prepared in the stomach to digest, and small intestines turned into mush, mixed with digestive juices. Then flowed through the channels in the liver, to continue to go to the heart and transform it into the blood. The liver is considered the seat of the soul, and gall bladder - courage. The liver of animals included in the arsenal of drugs Chinese medicine; it is treated, in particular, by soulless.
In ancient India it was aware of the signs of jaundice, and the secret of the liver - bile - considered one of the three principles, normal ratio which provides, believed, maintaining the life of the organism, two other start - is the air and mucus.
The ancient Greeks had a fairly well-developed medicine. They knew how to palpate (out feelers) liver, tried to treat her "like like", entering in the diet of patients, suffering from liver disease, crude animal liver. In the 5th century BC. e. Hippocrates compiled and summarized the medical data on liver. Hippocrates studied the structure of the liver, the first considered the jaundice and accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity as the symptoms of liver disease.
In ancient Rome in the 1st century BC. operations on liver, accumulated information about its anatomy and Physiology. Physician and scientist Galen, who lived in the 2nd century a.d., described in detail the form and structure of the body, given the comparative anatomy of the liver of animals and humans. He knew, that the liver produces bile. Around the time it became known ETOGES, that the liver receives blood from the intestines, It emphasizes the special role in the portal vein. Watching patients, Galen zheltuhu broken down in three types: due to a mechanical barrier for the flow of bile biliary ways; companion; develops due to the collapse of intensive blood.
The Renaissance opened a new chapter in medicine. In the XV century, he lived and worked in Leonardo da Vinci. He belongs to many discoveries in almost all science Obst, including in medicine. By studying the anatomy of the liver on the corpses, He described the various diseases of the body, including cirrhosis. Later, in the XVI century, Italian physician Andreas Vesalius described all the vessels of the liver, tracked, as arranged "biliary tree" and how it flows through the bile. He pointed to a connection cirrhosis alcohol abuse.
The seventeenth century saw the birth of scientific views on the device and liver. English anatomist and physician F. Gliseon described capsule, which protects the liver. This connective tissue sheath called Glisson capsule. Contemporary Glisson - Italian doctor, founder of microscopic anatomy Malpighi proved, that bile is not formed in the gall bladder, and produced by the liver, which he called a large gland, a bubble - Enclosures. He also discovered the lobular structure of the liver. At the same time, it has been found, that jaundice is common in crowded places, that is, the disease is "the essence of the epidemic".
With the development of science and technology in medicine came true discoveries. The invention of the microscope revealed the mystery of the cellular structure of the liver. Successes have established Biochemistry, that urea is synthesized in the liver – terminal product of protein metabolism, and lactic acid are formed from glucose and glycogen. It was studied the composition of bile and find a way to dissolve the gallstones with the help of drugs.
The end of the XIX century was marked by new discoveries in the field of hepatology. IN 1882 was first performed operation of removal of the gallbladder. Russian scientist SP. Botkin clarified the pathological process in infectious diseases of the liver. Now a group of viral diseases of the liver is called infective hepatitis. IN 1904 And year. P. Pavlov won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the laws of operation of the main digestive glands, including liver. In particular, he discovered the laws of the nervous regulation of the gall bladder: selection and separation of bile is carried out in accordance with the chemical composition and the number of accepted food. Thus was justified by the importance of diet in the treatment of diseases of the gallbladder.
In the 20th century has evolved into a separate medical Hepatology discipline. The latest scientific discoveries in much changed and "turned" many concepts. One of the most important discoveries was the detection of special cells in the liver, exciting alien elements from the blood and Poisons (Toxins) and thus its cleaning. These cells, called Kupffer cells, perform one of the constants of the liver – neutralize germs and toxic substances. Along with other medical science develops and liver surgery. Techniques have been developed complex operations on the liver and gallbladder.
The important discovery of the mid XX century, there was evidence of viral infectious jaundice. We have developed reliable methods of diagnosing different types of hepatitis and create a vaccine against these diseases. It was also proven link certain forms of hepatitis with liver tumors.
At the end of the XX century, doctors can help the majority of patients with liver disease. Surgery to remove the gallbladder is performed by laparoscopy, which is the least traumatic and provides a rapid and complete recovery of the patient after surgery. Amenable to treatment of severe hepatitis. However, the most difficult of liver disease - cirrhosis and cancer - are still resisting the efforts of doctors. Sure, While close, and when these diseases are treated successfully. However, it should be remembered, that prevention of liver diseases, proper diet and exercise you can save the liver for many years.
