222 THE LYMPH AND CHYLE. TRANSUDATIONS. [BOOK I. 



On microscopic examination, the transparent lymph of fasting 

 animals presents colourless corpuscles lymph-corpuscles, identical with 

 the colourless corpuscles of the blood, floating in a clear liquid, the 

 lymph-plasma; mixed with these, a few coloured corpuscles are 

 often observed, even though great precautions have been taken to 

 prevent the admixture, with the lymph, of blood from wounded blood- 

 vessels. 



It is certain that the lymph corpuscles are comparatively scanty 

 in the radicles of the lymphatic system, and that they are increased 

 in number as the lymph passes through the lymphatic glands. These 

 glands are the chief, though not the exclusive, formers of the lymph 

 cells, for wherever lymphoid or adenoid connective tissue exists, as 

 for instance in the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines 

 (of which it forms almost the frame-work) or in the follicles of the 

 thymus, of the tonsils, of the spleen (Malpighian bodies), there 

 is doubtless a formation of lymph cells. It is, indeed, the wide 

 distribution of adenoid connective tissue, especially in the alimentary 

 canal, which accounts in great part for the fact, that the lymph of the 

 smallest lymphatics always contains some corpuscles, though some of 

 these are doubtless derived from the blood, and have wandered through 

 the capillary walls into the cell spaces of the connective tissue, and 

 so found their way into the lymphatics. 



The lymph of animals in active digestion is milky from admixture 

 with the fatty chyle. It exhibits under the microscope, what has 

 been termed a molecular basis, i.e. innumerable very finely divided 

 particles, mainly fatty in nature, which manifest very characteristic 

 Brownian movements. 



Reaction. The Lymph has an alkaline reaction, which is, 



however, less marked than that of the blood. 



Taste and Its taste is saltish, and it has a slight indefinite 



Smeu. odour which varies somewhat in different animals. 



Specific The statements of authors vary in regard to the 



Gravity. specific gravity. According to Owen Eees and Marcet 



the specific gravity varies between 1012 and 1022. 



Coaguia- In a time which varies between 3 and 20 minutes 



Won of Lymph. a ft er it has left the vessels, the lymph undergoes 

 coagulation which is identical with that of liquor sanguinis. A soft 

 trembling jelly is at first formed, and after some time a contracted 

 colourless coagulum floats in a colourless or yellowish liquid, which 

 we may term the lymph-serum. 



The fibrin which separates from coagulated lymph is identical with that 

 of blood. Very great differences exist in the rate of coagulation of lymph. 

 As a rule lymph which is flowing rapidly coagulates less rapidly than 

 lymph which is flowing slowly ; there is no rule to be laid down however. 

 Some lymph does not coagulate at all 1 . 



1 Ludwig, quoted by Gorup-Besanez, Lehrbuch, &c., p. 378. 



