The net weight of the rat liver.

Contribution of blood to the post-mortem weight of the liver was measured by an isotopic technique in 269 rats with body weights ranging from 110 g to 480 g. Amounts of blood in the liver increased proportionately to the body and liver weights so that the portion of gross organ weight attributable to blood remained constant at 16.9-17.9%. Examination of the liver weight: whole body weight relationship for both gross and net liver weights by the conventional equation, Y = aXb, indicates that trapped blood affects exponent b very little but it alters coefficient a.