362 ABSOEPTIOX. 



ordinary circumstances, within the lymphatic vessels, either 

 during life or after death. These differences gradually 

 diminish, while the lymph and chyle, passing towards and 

 through the thoracic duct, gradually approach the place at 

 which they are to be mingled with the blood. For, in the 

 thoracic duct, besides the higher and more abundant 

 development of the fibrin, the lymph and chyle-corpuscles 

 are found more advanced towards their development into 

 red-blood corpuscles ; sometimes even that development is 

 completed, and the lymph has a pinkish tinge from the 

 number of red blood-corpuscles that it contains. 



The general result, therefore, of both the microscopic 

 and the chemical examinations of the lymph and chyle, 

 demonstrate that they are rudimental blood; their fluid 

 part being, like the liquor sanguinis, diluted, but gradually 

 becoming more concentrated ; and their corpuscles being 

 in process of development into red blood-corpuscles. Thus^ 

 in quality, the lymph and chyle are adapted to replenish 

 the blood ; and their quantity, so far as it can be estimated, 

 appears ample for this purpose. In one of Magendie's 

 experiments, half an ounce of chyle was collected in five 

 minutes from the thoracic duct of a middle-sized dog ; 

 Collard de Martigny obtained nine grains of lymph, in ten 

 minutes from the thoracic duct of a rabbit which had 

 taken no food for twenty-four hours ; and Gieger, from 

 three to five pounds of lymph daily from the foot of a 

 horse, from whom the same quantity had been flowing 

 several yea'rs without injury to health. Bidder found, on 

 opening the thoracic duct in cats, immediately after death, 

 that the mingled lymph and chyle continued to flow from 

 one to six minutes ; and, from the quantity thus obtained, 

 he estimated that if the contents of the thoracic duct con- 

 tinued to move at the same rate, the quantity which would 

 pass into a cat's blood in twenty-four hours would be equal 

 to about one-sixth of the weight of the whole body. And, 

 since the estimated weight of the blood in cats is to tho 



