658 ABSORPTION. 



was distinctly perceptible in the venous blood of the stomach and 

 intestine, no trace of it existed in arterial blood and chyle. Sir Everard 

 Home 1 having administered tincture of rhubarb to an animal, round 

 whose thoracic duct he had placed a ligature, found the rhubarb in the 

 bile and urine. M. Magendie gave to dogs, whilst digesting, a quantity 

 of alcohol diluted with water; and solutions of camphor, and other 

 odorous fluids: on examining the chyle, half an hour afterwards, he 

 could not detect any of those substances; but the blood of the mesen- 

 teric veins exhaled the odour, and afforded the substances by distilla- 

 tion. He gave to a dog four ounces of a decoction of rhubarb; and, to 

 another, six ounces of a solution of prussiate of potassa in water. Half 

 an hour afterwards, no trace of these substances could be detected in 

 the fluid of the thoracic duct ; whilst they could be in the urine. On 

 another dog, he tied the thoracic duct, and gave it two ounces of a 

 decoction of nux vomica. Death occurred as speedily as in an animal 

 in which the thoracic duct was pervious. The result was the same, 

 when the decoction was thrown into the rectum, where no proper chy- 

 liferous vessels exist. Having tied the pylorus in dogs, and conveyed 

 fluids into their stomachs, absorption equally took place, and with the 

 same results. Lastly, with M. Delille, 2 he performed the following 

 experiment on a dog, which had eaten a considerable quantity of meat, 

 in order that the chyliferous vessels might be easily perceived. An 

 incision was made through the abdominal parietes ; and a portion of the 

 small intestine drawn out, on which two ligatures were applied at a short 

 distance from each other. The lymphatics, which arose from this portion 

 of the intestine, were very white, and apparent from the chyle that 

 distended them. Two ligatures were placed around each of them; and 

 they were divided between the ligatures. Every precaution was taken, 

 that the portion of intestine drawn out of the abdomen should have no 

 connexion with the rest of the body by lymphatics. Five mesenteric ar- 

 teries and veins communicated with this portion of the intestine. Four of 

 the arteries and as many veins were tied, and cut in the same manner as 

 the lymphatics. The two extremities of the portion of intestine were 

 now divided, and separated entirely from the rest. A portion, an inch 

 and a half long, thus remained attached to the body by a mesenteric 

 artery and vein Only. These two vessels were separated from each 

 other by a distance of four fingers' breadth ; and the areolar coat was 

 removed to obviate the objection, that lymphatics might exist in it. 

 Two ounces of a decoction of nux vomica were now injected into this 

 portion of intestine, and a ligature was applied to prevent the exit of 

 the injected liquid. The intestine, surrounded by fine linen, was 

 replaced in the abdomen ; and, in six minutes, the effects of the poison 

 were manifested with their ordinary intensity : every thing occurred 

 as if the intestine had been in its natural condition. M. Segalas 3 per- 

 formed a similar experiment, leaving the intestine, however, communi- 

 cating with the rest of the body by chyliferous vessels only. On inject- 

 ing a solution of half a drachm of alcoholic extract of nux vomica into 

 the intestine; the poisoning, which, in the experiment of M. Magendie, 



1 Lectures on Comparative Anatomy, i. 221, Lond., 1814. 



2 Precis, &c., ii. 203. 



3 Magendie's Journal de Physiologic, torn. ii. ; and Precis, &c., ii. 208. 



