ABSTRACT
Liver injury induced by chemicals has been recognized as a toxicological problem for more than 100 years. During the late 1800s, scientists were concerned about the mechanisms involved in the hepatic deposition of lipids following exposure to yellow phosphorus. Also, hepatic lesions produced by arsphenamine, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform were studied in laboratory animals during the •rst 40 years of the twentieth century. During the same period, the correlation between hepatic cirrhosis and excessive ethanol consumption was recognized.
