198 



Letters 



the intestines, and that it can by no means be carried 

 off by the arteries, veins, or nerves ; and thence conclude 

 that this function must be performed by the lacteals. 

 I, however, can see no reason wherefore the innumer- 

 able veins which traverse the intestines at every point, 

 and return to the heart the blood which they have 

 received from the arteries, should not, at the same 

 time, also suck up the chyle which penetrates the parts, 

 and so transmit it to the heart ; and this the rather, as 

 it seems probable that some chyle passes immediately 

 from the stomach before its contents have escaped into 

 the intestines, (or how account for the rapid recovery of 

 the spirits and strength in cases of fainting ?) although 

 no lacteals are distributed to the stomach. 



With regard to the letter which you inform me you 

 have addressed to Bartholin, I do not doubt of his 

 replying to you as you desire ; nor is there any occasion 

 wherefore I should trouble you farther on that topic. 

 I only say (keeping silence as to any other channels), 

 that the nutritive juice might be as readily transported 

 by the uterine arteries, and distilled into the uterus, 

 as watery fluid is carried by the emulgent arteries 

 to the kidneys. Nor can this juice be spoken of as 

 preternatural ; neither ought it to be compared to the 

 vagitus uterinus, seeing that in pregnant women the 

 fluid is always present, the vagitus an incident of very 

 rare occurrence. What you say of the excrements of 

 new-born infants differing from those of the child that 

 has once tasted milk I do not admit ; for except in the 

 particular of colour, I scarcely perceive any difference 

 between them, and conceive that the black hue may 

 fairly be ascribed to the long stay of the fceces in the 

 bowels. 



Your proposal that I should attempt a solution of 

 the true use of these newly-discovered ducts, is an 

 undertaking of greater difficulty than comports with the 

 old man far advanced in years, and occupied with other 

 cares : nor can such a task be well entrusted to several 



