THE ABSORPTIVE SYSTEM. 87 



5. Being fatty substance, it is absorbed chiefly by 

 the lacteals. 



6. The chyliferous vessels (7) carry it through 

 the lymphatic glands (6) into the chyle receptacle (9). 



7. The thoracic duct (10) empties it into the 

 subclavian vein at 11, by which it reaches the right 

 auricle of the heart 



8. From this point the two kinds of food travel 

 together toward the outposts of the body, carrying 

 nourishment wherever needed. 



THE LYMPHATIC VESSELS. 



Besides the blood which is found cir- 

 culating in all parts of the body, there 

 is another fluid, almost colorless in appearance, 

 which is also found widely distributed throughout 

 the system. This fluid is called lymph, which sig- 

 nifies transparent fluid. In composition the lymph 

 closely resembles the plasma of the blood, and con- 

 tains minute bodies or corpuscles resembling the 

 white corpuscles of the blood; these are called 

 lymph globules or lymph corpuscles. 



This fluid is supposed to be mostly 

 S'm *" worn-out materials gathered from all 



parts of the body. It consists probably 

 of portions of blood- ingredients which have oozed 

 through the walls of the arteries, veins and blood- 

 capillaries, together with certain products of the 

 combustion which takes place in the body. These sub- 

 stances are gathered up by tiny vessels, and, after 



