THE NOEMAL HISTOLOGY OF THE HUMAN HEMOLYMPH 



GLANDS. 



BV 



ALDRED SCOTT WARTHIN, Ph. D., M. D., 



Assistant Professor of Pathology^ Pathological Laboratory, University of Michigan. 



In the prevertebral fat of the bullock and sheep there are found in 

 large numbers glands varying in size from a pin-point to a large cherry 

 and of a deep-red or chocolate color. Because of their number and 

 striking color these glands stand out with much greater prominence 

 than the pale lymph glands of these anipials, but despite this fact 

 they have been strangely overlooked and their histology and func- 

 tion investigated by but few observers. The earliest mention made of 

 them that I have been able to find is by Leydig (Lehrbuch der Histolo- 

 gic der Menschen und der Thiere, 1857, pages 434, 429). This writer 

 speaks of glands occurring along the thoracic aorta in many mammals, 

 particularly in the hog, which from their color might be mistaken for 

 accessory spleens in case they were found in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of the spleen. The cut surface of many of these glands he de- 

 scribes as perfectly resembling that of the spleen, presenting a dark- 

 red pulp in which lie white masses of cells corresponding to the Mal- 

 pighian follicles. Leydig noticed further that transition-forms exist 

 between these glands and ordinary lymph-glands, but his observations 

 were confined entirely to the gross appearances, and the histological 

 structure of these glands was not investigated by him. 



In 1884 H. Gibbes noticed the presence near the renal vessels of the 

 human body of glands differing from ordinary lymph-glands in that 

 they possessed sinuses containing blood in place of lymph. This im- 

 portant discovery was not carried further and the observation was lost 

 sight of, the next mention of these organs being made by Eobertson 

 (Lancet, Nov. 29, 1890) who, apparently unaware of Gibbes' discovery, 

 made the first histological study of these structures and gave them the 

 name of hemolymph glands (suggested by Dr. Russell under whom 

 Eobertson was working). He found these glands to be present in the 

 sheep, bullock and human body, but his histological descriptions are 

 based chiefly upon their structure as found in the sheep. His work 

 6 



