254 CORPUSCLES OF THE LYMPH. 



vessels taken into the course of the circulation, and mixed 

 with the blood, where they are for a time retained, to be again 

 separated from it, as we shall see afterwards in our inquiry 

 into the anatomy of some other parts. 



blood, are only rendered more distinct and slightly smaller by any of 

 these acids, so that the central part presents no regular nuclei, or divided 

 nucleus, such as are contained in the pale globules of the blood. In short, 

 these last-named globules have the characters of perfect elementary cells, 

 while the former globules, as shown in the Note to Gerber's 'Anatomy, 5 

 p. 83, resemble, and probably are, nuclei or immature cells. 



The most recent observers, Dr. Oesterlen, a and Mr. Simon, b also con- 

 clude that the corpuscles of the thymus have the structure and relations 

 of nuclei ; and it has been noticed in the Introduction how sagaciously 

 Hewson always insisted that they are to be considered as central par- 

 ticles. 



All these observations apply to the majority of the globules men- 

 tioned. In the blood, besides the common pale cells, there are a few 

 smaller corpuscles, like those of lymph ; while in the larger lymphatics 

 and thoracic duct there are corpuscles identical in size and structure 

 with the common pale globules of the blood: see Note CXLVI. 



The microscopical and chemical characters of the globules of the 

 chyle, of the thymus, and of the lymphatic glands, are nearly, if not 

 exactly, the same. When quite fresh, they swell on being mingled with 

 pure water, as does the nucleus of the blood-corpuscle. When well 

 mixed with a strong solution of an alkali, or of a neutral salt, the glo- 

 bules become partially dissolved, misshapen or fainter, forming a very 

 ropy and tenacious compound with the fluid. This property, I believe, 

 belongs generally to fresh primary cells, though n6t to the red cor- 

 puscles of the blood. Further details concerning the chyle, lymph, and 

 fluid of the thymus, are given in the Appendix to Gerber's ' Anatomy/ 

 pp. 88-100. 



In reptiles, I have seen the envelopes forming around the pale glo- 

 bules of the blood, as described by Wagner and Nasse. d But in birds 

 and mammalia there are certain facts not agreeing with the opinion that 

 the red corpuscles are formed simply by a transformation of the globules 

 of lymph or chyle. In birds, it has already been noticed 6 that the 

 lymph-globule differs remarkably in figure from the nucleus of the red 

 blood-corpuscle ; while there is nothing like a lymph-globule within 

 this blood-corpuscle of mammals. Besides, in some of the smaller 

 ruminants, as the musk-deer and ibex, the red corpuscles are much 

 smaller than the lymph-globules. 



a Mr. Paget's Report, British and Foreign c See Note cv, p. 225. 



Medical Review, vol. xxi, p. 566. d See the English edition of Gerber's 

 b A Physiological Essay on the Thymus Anatomy, fig. 294. 



Gland, p. 80, 4to, Loud. 1845. e In Note cv, p. 225. 



