The past year saw a marked increase in the number of papers dealing with canalicular bile water flow; details of its control are now emerging. While bile acid molecular biologists dug in, bilirubin enthusiasts hit back with the breath-taking elucidation of the conjugation enzyme genes and the defect in the Crigler-Najjar syndrome. Interest in the therapeutic use of ursodeoxycholic acid continued and was associated with a surge of interest in the cytotoxic and cytoprotective effects of bile acids.