402 ARTHUR WILLIAM MEYER 



exainiiiation. For oven if destructiou of erythrocytes, be it by 

 phagocytosis or by erythrolysis associated or unassociated by 

 cytorrhexis, is tlie chief function of hemal nodes, it is evident, 

 of course, that these processes must in all probability be due 

 and largely if not solely due, to some activity — direct or indirect — 

 on part of the parenchyma of the hemal node. Hence, even 

 if this destruction within the node were due in part to the produc- 

 tion of some lysin or enzyme, one might reasonably expect the 

 (juantity of lymphatic tissue to be considerable or proliferation 

 of lymphocytes most active, in nodes containing comparatively 

 large quantities of blood. This is, however, not the cas'j for 

 as is evident, the quantity of lymphatic tissue must of necessity 

 vary inversely with the quantity of contained blood and it is 

 only rarely that many follicles are found in a depleted node or, 

 for that matter, in any hemal node which contains much blood. 

 But even when this is the case and rapid proliferation of lympho- 

 cytes occurs, this very activity would then defeat the main 

 object for which these nodes are supposed to exist — viz., blood 

 destruction. For just in proportion as the henial nodes became 

 more able to destroy blood, leas of the latter would be able to 

 stay in the node since the more lymphatic tissue there is. the 

 less blood can be accommodated in the parenchyma of the node. 

 It is, of course, mainly if not wholly in the latter and not in the 

 vascular current within the node, that the destruction of erythro- 

 cytes is believed to occur. Then too, it is probable that the 

 ^'olume of flow through the node necessarily increases, up to 

 a certain point at least, when the node is undergoing depletion 

 as a result of loss of lymphocytes by the blood stream, and un- 

 doubtedly also as a consequence of the exercise of the supposedly 

 specific functions of the node. Consequently, the more rapid 

 the flow and the larger the quantity of blood that can be accomo- 

 dated within the node the smaller the power of the node will be 

 to perform the very task for which is is supposed to exist. That 

 is, just in proport/ion as the need for the exercise of their function 

 of blood destruction increased the nodes necessarily would 

 become progressively less competent to fulfill it. Hence rapid 

 self-destruction would seem to be the inevitable consequence 



