OF DRINKS. 659 



took effect in six minutes, had not occurred at the expiration of half an 

 hour ; but when one of the veins was untied and the circulation re- 

 established, it supervened immediately. Westrumb 1 mixed rhubarb, 

 turpentine, indigo, prussiate of potassa, and acetate of lead with the 

 food of rabbits, sheep, and dogs. They were detected in the veins of 

 the intestines and in the urine, but not in the chyle. The same facts 

 were observed by Mayer 2 when rhubarb, saffron, and prussiate of potassa 

 were introduced into the stomach. MM. Tiedemann and Gmelin like- 

 wise observed that the absorption of different colouring and odorous 

 substances from the intestinal canal was effected exclusively by the 

 veins. Indigo, madder, rhubarb, cochineal, litmus, alkanet, camboge, 

 verdigris, musk, camphor, alcohol, spirits of turpentine, Dippel's animal 

 oil, asafoetida, garlic, the salts of lead, mercury, iron, and baryta, were 

 found in the venous blood, but never in the chyle. The prussiate of 

 potassa and sulphate of potassa were the only substances, which, in 

 their experiments, had entered the chyliferous vessels. 



Such are the chief facts and considerations on which the believers in 

 the chyliferous absorption and venous absorption of drinks rest their 

 respective opinions. The strength is manifestly with the latter. Let 

 it be borne in mind, that no sufficient experiments have been made, to 

 encourage the idea, that any thing is contained in the chyliferous ves- 

 sels except chyle; and that nearly all are in favour of absorption by 

 the mesenteric veins. An exception to this, as regards the chyliferous 

 and lymphatic vessels, seems to exist in the case of certain salts. The 

 prussiate and the sulphate of potassa we have said were detected in 

 the thoracic duct by MM. Tiedemann and Gmelin ; the sulphate of iron 

 and the prussiate of potassa were found there by Messrs. Harlan, Law- 

 rence, and Coates 3 of Philadelphia ; and the last of these salts by Dr. 

 Macneven of New York. " I triturated," says Dr. Macneven, 4 " one 

 drachm of crystallized hydrocyanate of potassa with fresh butter and 

 crumbs of bread, which being made into a bolus the same dog swallowed 

 and retained. Between three and four hours afterwards, Dr. Anderson 

 bled him largely from the jugular vein. A dose of hydrocyanic acid 

 was then administered, of which he died without pain, and the abdomen 

 was laid open. The lacteals and thoracic duct were seen well filled 

 with milk-white chyle. On scratching the receptaculum, and pressing 

 down on the duct, nearly half a teaspoonful of chyle was collected. Into 

 this were let fall a couple of drops of the solution of permuriate of iron, 

 and a deep blue was the immediate consequence." Professor J. Muller* 

 placed a frog with its posterior extremities in a solution of prussiate of 

 potassa, which reached nearly as high as the anus, and kept it so for 

 two hours. He then carefully washed the animal, and having wiped 

 the legs dry tested the lymph taken from under the skin with a persalt 

 of iron ; it immediately assumed a bright blue colour, while that of the 

 serum of the blood was scarcely affected by the test. In a second 



1 De Phsenomenis, quae ad Vias sic dictas Lotii clandestinas referuntur, Getting., 1819. 



2 Meckel's Archiv., Band. iii. 



3 Philad. Journ. of Med. and Phys. Sciences, vol. ii.; and Harlan's Medical and Physical 

 Researches, p. 458, Philad., 1835. 



4 New York Med. and Phys. Journ., June, 1822. 



5 Handbuch der Physiologic, u. s. w. Baly's translation, p. 279, Lond., 1838. 



