4 ANATOMY OF THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM. 



endothelium of which areae possesses the above-mentioned characters. 

 As these chief trabeculse project in many instances like folds or 

 fringes, they afford the best opportunity of studying this germinatii ig 

 or young endothelium (we shall use this expression always after- 

 wards) from the surface as well as in profile. Especially in the 

 latter case, one is sure to find, where a large area of germinating 

 endothelium is focussed, numbers of cells which are raised from the 

 general surface by means of a stalk, and which possess in their 

 peripheral spherical portion two nuclei or a nucleus in a state of 

 division ; and further, one is sure to find there spherical cells just like 

 lymphoid corpuscles, which are either simply attached to the general 

 surface x or are in a state of separating themselves from young endo- 

 thelial cells. The same character is possessed by the endothelium of 

 the surface of certain nodular or cord-like structures, which are either 

 isolated or in connection with the chief trabeculse of the fenestrated 

 part of the omentum, in which larger blood-vessels or fat are contained. 

 I have come across, several times in the normal as well as in the 

 chronically inflamed omentum, endothelial cells which presented the 

 characters of giant-cells myeloplaxes, that is protoplasmic masses 

 containing five to ten nuclei. These masses were attached to the 

 surface by means of a shorter or longer protoplasmic stalk. 



A very rich distribution of germinating endothelium is to be found 

 on the omentum of rabbits. As we shall afterwards see, the omentum 

 of the rabbit shows remarkable differences as regards the distribution 

 of the lymphatic and blood-system. These differences are, however, in 

 general merely differences of development, which are to be explained 

 by differences of age. Always, however, there are to "be found on the 

 delicate portion of the omentum covering the left part of the stomach, 

 as well as on the denser part covering the pyloric portion of the 

 stomach, numerous places, either in the form of more or less isolated 

 islands of different size or of cords, the surface endothelium of which 

 possesses the above-mentioned characters, viz. is germinating. Seen 

 from the surface such areae appear to be covered with cells, which are 

 raised like buds, with Shorter or longer stalks. The upper parts of 

 these buds appear in many instances to undergo division. That the 

 germination on these places goes on with some rapidity can be 



