5 6 HISTOLOG Y OF NUTRIENT FL UfDS. 



tain much albumen. The constituents of fibrin are found in 

 lymph as well as in blood, although subject to considerable varia- 

 tion. Lymph taken from lymphatics of different regions differs 

 in composition. That taken from the thoracic duct contains 

 many lymph corpuscles, or leucocytes, like the white corpus- 

 .cles of the blood. During digestion fatty and granular matter 

 is present. The lymph corpuscles are of different sizes, rang- 

 ing from 15000 of an inch to 12000 in the duct, and 1-1200 

 in the peritoneum. Some of the larger contain two or three 

 nuclei and have more active amoeboid movement than the 

 smaller. A few red corpuscles are seen, slightly tinging the 

 lymph when allowed to stand. Those histologists who con- 

 sider the red corpuscles of the blood to be formed from the 

 white ones, look upon these as derivatives, but others regard 

 them as accidental. 



III. WHITE CORPUSCLES OK LEUCOCYTES. 



In IOO parts of human blood it has been estimated that 

 there are 64 of plasma, or liquor sanguinis, and 36 of floating 

 corpuscles. The majority of the latter are colored, but some 

 are colorless. The coloredare called red or colored corpuscles, 

 and the colorless white or lymphoid cells or leucocytes. They 

 appear to be particles of embryonic or elementary living mat- 

 ter, similar to other formative cells. In health}' blood there is 

 one white corpuscle to about 500 red ones, although this may 

 vary to one in 300. Under the microscope the white blood 

 corpuscles vary greatly in size and appearance. When a drop 

 of blood is examined fresh on a slide covered with very thin 

 glass, attention will be called to a few corpuscles paler than 

 the rest and generally a little larger. Under a moderate 

 magnifying power they will appear granular, and some of 

 them exhibit one or more nuclei. With a power of 1 ,000 

 diameters or more, and the best lenses, the granulation is shown 

 to be a convoluted reticulum, or network, and the nucleus is 

 a denser or finer reticulum. Careful examination will show 

 that there are great varieties in size and shape. Some are 

 spherical or oval, and others quite irregular. In any form 

 leucocytes are simply floating particles of bioplasm or elemen- 

 tary living matter. Fig. 2, PI. 3. 



