304 AjHcrican Quarterly Microscopical Journal. 



that separate it from the soft tissue now disappear, and it has to 

 pass through a quantity of splenic tissue, with nothing to keep 

 it from immediate contact with that tissue. 



Having no walls to confine it, it now flows this side and then 

 the other side of the " pebbles " (lymphoid cells) of its bed. One 

 portion of the red elements of the blood passes through this tissue 

 into the primordial venous capillaries, and finally reaches the 

 general circulation through the veins. Another portion, however, 

 meets a mechanical death by sticking fast to the splenic tissue. 



The study of blood teaches that for the colored elements move- 

 ment is life and rest is death. {Ibid., p. 121.) 



The red corpuscles, being thus brought to rest, find their 

 grave. But the younger corpuscles do not allow the older ones 

 to remain quiet ; for, with an amoeboid motion, the white cells 

 envelop the dead bodies of the red, and greedily appropriate them 

 to their own use. In this vvay, those large wliite corpuscles men- 

 tioned above originate. 



If the spleen becomes enlarged, what will be the probable re- 

 sult ? The larger it becomes, the more tissue there will be through 

 which the red elements must pass, the more fine blood-currents 

 without walls, therefore the greater the destruction of the red cor- 

 puscles. On the other hand, the number of the white cells will 

 be correspondingly increased ; for, although this subject cannot 

 be discussed here, the spleen must be considered as a birth- 

 place of the white corpuscles. 



The equilibrium will thus be destroyed and there Avill follow a 

 great destruction of the red and a great increase in the number 

 of the white corpuscles ; the extent of which will depend ui)on 

 the size of the spleen. 



Extirpation of the spleen does not always cause the result 

 anticipated, and it is asserted that the number of white corpuscles 

 is not materially changed, neither does hypertrophy of the lym- 

 phatics always follow. In answer to this it may be said that 

 extirpation of one kidney does not always lead to any material 

 change in the amount of urine, neither does a microscopical 

 examination of the remaining kidney, after a time, show any 

 increase in size of either tubuli or glo'meruli. (Flint, P/tysioiogy, 

 Vol. III., 1876, p. 404.) 



The sj)leen is classed with the adenoid tissues. (Fray, 

 Kiiss, &c.) Extirpate the spleen, and, as in the case of the 

 kidney, the remaining adenoid tissues will carry on the work. 



