58 Veterinary Elements. 



may. The special organs having to do with absorption 

 are the lymphatics, the lacteals being one form of them, 

 they originate in the mucous membrane of certain parts 

 of the intestines, carry and eventually empty into the 

 blood the products of digestion, which thus become avail- 

 able to the body. Fat is said to be absorbed as the result 

 of a selective action of the lymphatic cells. The mate- 

 rial taken into the blood by the lacteals is known as 

 chyle. Absorption then is the entrance of digested food 

 products into the circulation via the blood or lymph 

 channels; why these products should enter in is not fully 

 determined; it is held by some investigators to be due 

 to the selective or vital action of the lymph cells. 



