140 LYMPHATIC SYSTEM. 



work, after this pain had continued a fortnight, he felt a weak- 

 ness in his left arm, and the brush with which he was working 

 fell out of his hand, but he had no weakness in his right arm, 

 nor in his legs. That this weakness returned two or three 

 times a day for nine days ; and was rather relieved by putting 

 his hands into warm water. About three days after he was 

 first attacked with this weakness, a tumour appeared on the left 

 side of his neck, just below the ear ; when I first saw him this 

 tumour had continued eleven days. It seemed to be an en- 

 larged lymphatic gland, was then hard, but afterwards gradually 

 came to suppuration, and at the end of six weeks it burst and 

 discharged a yellow curdled matter. He adds at the same 

 time that he was attacked with the weakness, he had a falter- 

 ing in his speech, and slight convulsions in his lips. 



Now as in this case there seemed to be a compression of the 

 brain, which was removed when the glands swelled, is it not 

 probable that the cause of the compression had been some ex- 

 travasated fluid, which afterwards being absorbed, occasioned 

 the tumour and suppuration of the lymphatic gland ? and there- 

 fore is it not a presumption that absorption is here likewise 

 carried on by lymphatic vessels ? 



The small lymphatics which accompany the branches of the 

 external carotid artery unite upon the neck, and form a large 

 trunk which accompanies the internal jugular vein, passing 

 through some lymphatic glands, near the termination of this 

 trunk in the angle between the jugular and subclavian veins ; 

 there are likewise some glands on the outside of this angle, 

 which seem to belong to the lymphatics from the back of the 

 neck, and of the shoulder. 



The thyroid gland has many lymphatic vessels, which 

 can sometimes be inflated by blowing air into the cells of the 

 gland : these vessels pass on each side of the trachea, one part 

 going into the angle of the right subclavian and jugular, and 

 the other joining the thoracic duct upon the left side. They 

 are seen in Plate III at/. 



So much for the lymphatics of the head and neck ; I shall 

 next proceed to describe those which belong to the arms. 



Each arm, like the leg, has two sets of lymphatic vessels, 

 one which lies immediately under the integuments, and belongs 

 to the skin and cellular membrane connecting it to the mus- 



