288 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. 



mesenteric glands of whales, coincide with the views of Mr. 

 Cruikshank: he states, indeed, the cells as being large spherical 

 bags, into which the lacteals plainly open. The celebrated 

 Mascagni also acknowledges, and, in fact, describes the cellu- 

 lar structure of these glands,* which he had ascertained both by 

 quicksilver and by wax injections. The improved notions of 

 modern anatomy, upon what is called the erectile tissue, that is, 

 the cells intermediate to arteries and veins, as in the penis and 

 other places, now considered rather as the dilated extremities 

 of vessels, would also assist in warranting the opinion advo- 

 cated. The celebrated Ruysch thought that he had discovered 

 acini in the lymphatic glands, and sent his injected preparations 

 illustrative of them to Boerhaave. Some idea of the enthusiasm 

 of the old anatomists may be conceived by his saying, " Quan- 

 do jam clarius et perfectius videbam hrec omnia, pra3 gaudio 

 exsiliebam." 



When the absorbing powers of the lymphatics had been 

 established by Dr. W. Hunter, they were for a long time con- 

 sidered as the exclusive functionaries in this operation; and the 

 opinions previously entertained had sunk into such disrepute, 

 from some experiments of Mr. John Hunter,t that they were 

 considered rather as food for literary research and curiosity, 

 than for deliberate adoption. In the year 1809, M. Magendie 

 reported his experiments on absorpiion, which seemed to fa- 

 vour the notion that the veins also assisted in this office, a the- 

 ory as ancient as Galen. The more recent observations of 

 Fohman, in 1821, and Lauth, in 1824, on the communications 

 of the lymphatics with the veins, in the midst of the tissues of 

 organs, and in the lymphatic glands, seem now to explain away 

 again the theories of the absorbing powers of the veins, and to 

 reinstate the lymphatics in their reputed exclusive functions. 

 It is also stated that an anatomist of Florence, M. Lippi, has 

 still more lately found several large lymphatic trunks entering 

 into the ascending cava. The connexion of the lymphatic sys- 

 tem with the vena cava ascendens, and also with the external 



* Vasor. Lymph. Hist. j- Med. Commentaries. 



