780 



SPLEEN. 



and are then effused in the shape of long and 

 small streaks in the surrounding tissues. If 

 the commencements of such a streak were not 

 observed, it might easily be regarded, from its 

 always taking a radiating course from the 

 Malpighian corpuscle to which it is united, as 

 a canal communicating with the same, especi- 

 ally when a longer pressure applied to the 

 corpuscles has elongated these stripes by con- 

 tinually forcing out the contents. The pro- 

 cesses which Ecker has described on the 

 Malpighian corpuscles, and which are not 

 bloodvessels, probably belong to the same 

 category as the artificial products mentioned 

 above ; or, if this is not the case, it is possible 

 that they are small trunks of nerves, which 

 are frequently present in the neighbourhood 

 of Malpighian corpuscles, and which, from 

 reasons that will be hereafter mentioned, are 

 exceedingly difficult to recognise as being 

 wliat they really are. I therefore maintain, 

 quite plainly and definitely, that the Malpighian 

 corpuscles are closed capsules, and stand in no 

 connection at all with the lymphatics. 



If this be so and the structure of the 

 Malpighian corpuscles, which altogether differs 

 from that of vessels, corroborates the fact 

 it is next demanded may not the Malpi- 

 ghian corpuscles be glands? If by "glands" 

 be meant the word in its ordinary sense, I 

 answer with a decided "no;" for these alto- 

 gether differ from the known simple shut 

 glandular sacs of the ovary, thyroid, thymus, 

 and supra-renal capsules, and possess neither 

 a structureless membrana propria (limitary 

 membrane, or basement membrane) nor an 

 epithelium. On the contrary, in my opinion, 

 they correspond with the spaces filled with 

 cells in the lymphatic glands, and with the 

 sacs of the glandulse solitaries and agminatae 

 of the intestine. Here and there hollow 

 spaces exist, which possess a covering of 

 white fibrous tissue, are completely inclosed, 

 and contain in their interior no trace of 

 epithelium, but only a coherent mass of 

 nuclei and cells, together with some fluid; we 

 might call these " vesicular glands," recol- 

 lecting at the same time that they possess the 

 function of the real shut glandular vesicles, 

 although their anatomy essentially differs. 

 Although the discussion of the former ques- 

 tion does not belong to this part, yet I will 

 add, that, in reality, there is much to indicate 

 that the structures in question constitute a 

 kind of shut glandular vesicle ; and that, con- 

 sequently, there is nothing to prevent their 

 being regarded as glandular vesicles. 



5. The red spleen substance, the spleen-jmlp, 

 the parenchyma of the spleen (substantia 

 ru'.ra, pufposa, parenchyma lienis), is a soft 

 reddish mass, which fills up all the interstices 

 between the larger partitions and the stronger 

 vessels, and on section of the organ is easily 

 scraped off or squeezed out. It consists 

 essentially of three constituents ; which are, 

 fine bloodvessels, parenchyma cells of the 

 spleen, and small partitions or fibres. To 

 these constituents is so frequently added, 

 both in man and animals, extravasatcd or 



coagulated blood in various metamorphoses, 

 that one is almost forced to designate it a 

 normal constituent. According to the pre- 

 dominance or diminution of the latter in~ 

 gredient, or according to the greater or lesser 

 distention of the bloodvessels themselves, 

 the spleen-pulp appears sometimes altogether 

 of the colour of the blood, at others of a 

 clearish red, with a greater or lesser tendency 

 towards whiteness. 



The following remarks apply to the mi- 

 croscopic appearances of the constituents of 

 the pulp, the vessels only excepted, which 

 will be described hereafter. The fibres of 

 the pulp are of two kinds. The one kind, 

 which may be named " small or microscopic 

 partitions " (" microscopische balkchen "), are 

 quite analogous to those larger partitions 

 (" balken"] which are visible to the naked eye ; 

 they are also of the same structure, except 

 that in the lower animals they often contain 

 more muscular fibres than the latter. Their 

 diameter is variable, from 5 to 10-lOOOths of 

 a line ; their frequency and quantity also vary 

 in different situations, and amongst different 

 creatures. In the human subject I find 

 them to be fewer and broader than amongst 

 other mammalia, and exactly like the larger 

 partitions in structure ; while in the ox, 

 sheep, &c., they occur frequently, are more 

 delicate, and are remarkable by their purely 

 muscular structure. The other fibres of the 

 pulp are evidently processes from the sheaths 

 of the larger vessels ; they greatly predomi- 

 nate in quantity, and appear chiefly in the 

 form of delicate membranes of an indistinctly 

 fibrous structure, and without any mixture of 

 elastic fibres, which seem to connect the 

 capillaries to each other. Whether they take 

 the form of small partitions in which case 

 they could not be distinguished from the 

 small trabeculcc is at present undecided. 

 In animals, these membranes are also present 

 on the veins ; but of this more will be said 

 hereafter, in speaking of the vessels. 



The cells of the spleen-pulp, which I shall 

 call " parenchyma-cells of the spleen," have 

 been described by J. M tiller as similar to 

 tho.se of the Malpighian corpuscles ; and, as 

 was previously stated, this view has been 

 followed by the majority of writers ; as by 

 Henle, Bischoff, Huschke, Remak, and others. 

 Only Von Hessling and Gerlach are of 

 another opinion. According to the former, 

 the globules of the spleen-tissue are distin- 

 guished by their dark colour, and by their 

 being mingled with spindle-shaped cells. Ger- 

 lach finds that cells with nuclei are rare in 

 the spleen-pulp ; while, on the contrary, he 

 considers them to be frequent in the Mal- 

 pighian corpuscles. As to myself, I have 

 already expressed my concurrence with the 

 view taken by Miiller, and may therefore for- 

 bear to enter further upon this point ; never- 

 theless, it is necessary to remark that the 

 parenchyma-cells exhibit some additional 

 peculiarities, which ought not to be passed 

 over without notice. A considerable por- 

 tion of these cells completely correspond 



