1835.] Lymph, Blood, and Chyle. 17 



alone can penetrate the coats of the capillaries ; for the 

 globules must pass by the medium of the capillary vessels 

 from the arteries directly into the veins, as may be observed 

 by the microscope, while the texture absorbs the albumen 

 and fibrin, and again yields them up to the lymph vessels. 

 But it is not easy to determine the function of the globules, 

 or to say why they are bright red in the capillaries of the 

 lungs, and dark red in the same vessels of all other organs, 

 or why they pass through such an extensive circuit. That 

 they serve the purpose of nutrition, Muller considers very 

 improbable. Dutrochet conceives that they produce elec- 

 trical currents. 



In the human body we find the fibrin and globules 

 separated; for the dissolved fibrin is separated from the 

 inner surface of the uterus. The coagulation of the men- 

 strual fluid appears to be obstructed by the presence of 

 some agent acting upon the fibrin, for the same reason 

 that many re-agents prevent the coagulation in the blood. 

 In urine, the menstrual fluid collects into masses, which, 

 under the microscope, appear to consist of globules of the 

 blood unchanged. Some secretions contain globules which 

 are not flat but round. The globules in the bile of the 

 frog are not elliptical like the nuclei of their globules, 

 but round and of a smaller size. The globules of human 

 saliva are much larger than the globules of human blood. 

 The milk globules, according to E. H. Weber, are one-half 

 or one-third smaller than the blood globules. 



The healthy blood of man and the inferior animals, con- 

 tains no acid. The serum of man and the mammalia is 

 alkaline, that of the frog seems neutral, or at least its 

 action upon vegetable colours is very trifling. Hermann 

 states that he has found acid in cholera blood. The chief 

 difference between cholera and healthy blood appears to be, 

 that the former has a strong tendency to coagulate during 

 life, and that this inclination to assume a solid form, is an 

 important obstacle in the cure, whether we consider it as 

 the cause of the symptoms or the consequence of the disease. 

 Now, the carbonates of soda and potash, but more especially 

 caustic potash or soda, prevent the coagulation of the blood. 

 Prevost and Dumas affirm, that the blood of animals is 

 rendered uncoagulable by the addition of -—^^ of caustic 



VOL. II. c 



