HANDBOOK OF PHYSIOLOGY. 



serum. But the clot of chyle is softer and moister than that of blood. 

 Like blood, also, the chyle often remains for a long time in its vessels 

 without coagulating, but coagulates rapidly on being removed from them. 

 The existence of the materials which, by their union, form fibrin, is, 

 therefore, certain; and their increase appears to be commensurate with 

 that of the corpuscles. 



The structure of the chyle-corpuscles was described when speaking 

 of the white corpuscles of the blood, with which they are identical. The 

 lymph, in chemical composition, resembles diluted plasma, and from what 

 has been said, it will appear that perfect chyle and lymph are, in essen- 

 tial characters, nearly similar, and scarcely differ, except in the prepon- 

 derance of fatty and proteid matter in the chyle. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LYMPH AND CHYLE. 



i. n. m. 



Lymph. Chyle. Mixed Lymph & 



(Donkey). (Donkey). Chyle (Human). 



Water 96.536 90.237 90.48 



Solids . 3.454 9.763 9.52 



Solids 

 Proteids, including Serum-Albu- } 1 OOA Q QQ * no 



min, Fibrinogenfand Globulin. \ 

 Extractives, including in (I and ) 



II) Sugar, Urea, Leucin and V 1.559 1.565 1.08 



Cholesterin . . . . ) 



Fatty matter and Soaps . . a trace 3. 601 . 92 



Salts .585 .711 .44 



Quantity. The quantity which would pass into a cat's blood in 

 twenty-four hours has been estimated to be equal to about one-sixth of 

 the weight of the whole body. And, since the estimated weight of the 

 blood in cats is to the weight of their bodies as 1 to 7, the quantity of 

 lymph daily traversing the thoracic duct would appear to be about equal 

 to the quantity of blood at any time contained in the animals. By an- 

 other series of experiments, the quantity of lymph traversing the tho- 

 racic duct of a dog in twenty-four hours was found to be about equal to 

 two-thirds of the blood in the body. 



CHANNELS OF ABSORPTION. 



The Lacteals. During the passage of the chyme along the intestinal 

 canal, its completely digested parts are absorbed into the blood and 

 distributed in the mucous membrane. The absorption into both sets of 

 vessels is carried on most actively but not exclusively, in the villi of the 

 small intestine; for in them both the capillary blood-vessels and the 

 lacteals are brought almost into contact with the intestinal contents. 

 There seems to be no doubt that absorption of fatty matters during 

 digestion, from the contents of the intestines, is effected chiefly through 



