176 BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS 



when discussing the subject of systemic nervine nutrition, 

 but it seems still necessary further to elucidate it, in refer- 

 ence to the nutrition of the so-called non-nervous, or 

 sympathetically innervated textures generally. In studying 

 the economy of general, or sympathetic nervine nutrition, 

 as distinguished from particular, or systemic nervine nutri- 

 tion, we are impressed with the conviction that the pure, 

 or incoming nutritive material, must be circulated, or con- 

 veyed, to the textures to be nourished, along routes, or by 

 vessels, or inter-spaces separate and distinct from those 

 conveying away, or removing, the disintegrated, and effete, 

 or waste, products, of tissue tear and wear. Our convic- 

 tion, of the consistency and necessity, of such provision, is 

 based, mainly, on the non-existence, in the physiologically 

 healthy condition, of a state of toxicity throughout the 

 whole field of nutritive activity, and on the, consequently, 

 necessary patency of a complete system of eliminatory 

 agencies and organisms by which the escape of effete, and 

 toxic, materials, can be effected in one unbroken succession 

 along the lines of least resistance by efferent vasculatures, 

 so to speak ; moreover, it can only be thus, we think, that 

 such a vitally important function, as that of nutrition, is 

 possible, and that pathological conditions must accrue when 

 any departure from it ensues. 



The lymph circulation, therefore, may be regarded as a 

 compound circulation, somewhat in the way we regard the 

 circulation of the blood, as being devisable into a systemic 

 and pulmonary circulation, or perhaps, more aptly, as we 

 regard these two circulations as being devisable, respectively, 

 into arterial and venous circulations joined, respectively, 

 by a capillary circulation. The afferent liquor sanguinis, 

 or nutritive lymph, circulation, may be compared with the 

 arterial circulation, the efferent, or effete, circulation, with 

 the venous circulation, and the uniting, or integrative, 

 textural circulation, with the uniting, and anastomosing, 

 capillary circulation. Thus, we see, by a continuation of 

 the application of the principle of circulation, along a proper 

 vasculature and system of inter-spaces, the method, and 

 manner, of the complex function of nutrition become 

 clearer, and more definite. Our contention being that the 

 solid structure of the body is made up of two kinds of 



