CHYLOSIS. 655 



racic duct. Professors Meckel, E. H. Weber, Rudolphi, and J. Miiller 

 doubt, however, the existence of an actual open communication between 

 the lymphatics and minute veins in the glands. Meckel states, as a 

 reason for his questioning this, that when the seminal duct of the epi- 

 didymis of the dog is injected, the veins also are filled; and Miiller 1 

 observes, that when glands are injected from their excretory duct, the 

 small veins of the gland also frequently become filled with mercury; 

 and the cases in which this occurred to him were always those in which 

 the ducts had not been well filled, their acini not distended. Thirdly. 

 That the ligature of the thoracic duct has not always induced death, 

 or has not induced it speedily; and, consequently, the thoracic duct is 

 not the only route by which the chyle can pass to be inservient to nu- 

 trition. In an experiment of this kind by M. Duverney, the dog did 

 not die for fifteen days. M. Flandrin repeated it on twelve horses, 

 which appeared to eat as usual, and to maintain their flesh. On killing 

 and opening them a fortnight afterwards, he satisfied himself that the 

 thoracic duct was not double. Sir Astley Cooper performed the expe- 

 riment on several dogs: the majority lived longer than a fortnight, and 

 none died in the first two days; although, on dissection, the duct was 

 found ruptured, and chyle effused into the abdomen. The experiments 

 of M. Dupuytren have satisfactorily accounted for these different re- 

 sults. He tied the thoracic duct in several horses. Some died in five 

 or six days, whilst others continued apparently in perfect health. In 

 those that died in consequence of the ligature, it was impossible to 

 throw any injection from the lower part of the duct into the subclavian. 

 It was, therefore, presumable, that the chyle had ceased to be poured 

 into the blood, immediately after the duct was tied. On the other 

 hand, in those that remained apparently unaffected, it was always easy 

 to send mercurial or other injections from the abdominal portion of the 

 duct into the subclavian. The injections followed the duct until near 

 the ligature, when they turned off, and entered large lymphatic vessels, 

 which opened into the subclavian ; so that, in these cases, the ligature 

 of the thoracic duct did not prevent the chyle from passing into the 

 venous system ; and thus we can understand why the animals should 

 not have perished. 2 



From every consideration, then, it appears that the chyliferous ves- 

 sels are the sole organs concerned in chylosis; and we shall see pre- 

 sently, that they refuse the admission of other substances, which must, 

 consequently, reach the circulation through a different channel. 



The views of MM. Bouchardat and Sandras who believe, that the 

 absorption of the nutritive portion of most aliments takes place in the 

 stomach, fatty matters only being absorbed by these vessels, and that 

 they moreover absorb a fluid of an alkaline character designed to neu- 

 tralize the acidity developed in the stomach during digestion, as well as 

 those of Matteucci and Bertrand in regard to the absorption of the 

 same substances, have been given already. 



1 Handbuch, u. s. w.; and Baly's translation, p. 273, Lond., 1838. 



2 Richerand's Elemens de Physiologic, edit, cit., p. 90. 



