(295) 
We have occupied ourselves with another problem, viz. what path 
does the fat take in the mucosa. 
V. What way does the fat take in the mucosa? 
We may a priori assume that the particles of fat after leaving 
the epithelial layer of the Lieberkiihns glands and entering the 
lymphducts, will, for a part at least, be carried off with the 
current of lymph. The remaining fat would then have to follow 
the path of the blood capillaries situated in the lymphducts, and 
seeing that in the mucosa of the large intestine the system of 
lymphatic vessels is relatively only slightly developed, it would 
not even be improbable that the blood capillaries form the principal 
channel of conveyance. 
Meanwhile the question might be raised: has a transition from fat 
into blood capillaries ever been observed in other places? And this 
then suggests in the first place, the small intestine. That a great 
part of the fat there follows the way of the lymphatic vessels, few 
will question; but whether the blood capillaries are also responsible 
for a part of the transport has not hitherto been decided. 
According to CLAUDE BERNARD the serum of the v. porta in 
mammalia during digestion looks as white as milk. On the other 
hand, comparative investigation of the blood of the v. porta and of 
the a. carotis, undertaken by Bornstein !) at the instance of 
MerIDENHAIN showed that the fat contents of the portal-blood are 
less than those of the a. carotis. | 
The experiments of ZAWILSKI?) also seem to argue against a 
direct absorption of fat by the blood capillaries. Eighteen hours 
and a half after partaking of a rich meal, while the resorption of 
fat was still in active operation, the contents of the ductus thora- 
cicus where drawn outside so that the blood no longer received any 
chyle. The fat contents of the blood amounted only to 0 05 ®/,; to 
no more, then, than in a stato of hunger. 
Over against the results obtained by ZAWILSKI and BORNSTEIN 
we must set those of von WALTHER?) and of FRANK #. Von 
1) HerpeNuarn, Beiträge zur Histologie und Physiologie der Dinndarmschleimhaut. 
PrLüGer’s Archiv Suppl. 1888. S. 95. 
2) ZawirskKr, Die Abfuhrwege des Fettes. Arbeiten aus der physiologischen Anstalt 
zu Leipzig. Jahrg. XL. 1876. 
3) yon Warruer, Zur Lehre von der Fettresorption, Du Bois-Rreymorp’s Archiv, 
1890. p. 328. 
‘) Frank, Die Resorption der Fettsiiuren der Nahrungsfette, mit Umgehung des 
Brustganges. Ibid, 1892. p. 497. 
Derselbe, Zur Lehre der Fettresorption. Ibid. 1894, p. 297. 
