286 FORMATION OF THE RED PARTICLES. 



time after a recovery from the smallpox, or a violent inflam- 

 matory fever ; under these circumstances, it is astonishing to 

 observe how much nature will exert herself, and how soon food 

 taken into the stomach will be digested, and applied to the pur- 

 poses of the constitution ; in like manner, most probably, if the 

 spleen be diseased or cut out, nature is capable of making the 

 lymphatic vessels exert themselves more powerfully in the exe- 

 cution of their office; or, on the contrary, if the lymphatic 

 system be diseased, the spleen is excited to form a larger 

 quantity of blood in order to make up the deficiency : thereby 

 the life of the animal will be less frequently endangered from 

 a partial disease. 



SECT. 110. But how much soever the manner in which the 

 red vesicle is formed may be disputed, we think it cannot be 

 denied but that the office of the thymus and lymphatic glands 

 is clearly proved to form the central particles found in the 

 vesicles of the blood ; and though the operation of nature in 

 forming the vesicular portion is more obscure, yet the proba- 

 bility of its being performed in the manner we have related 

 will, we hope, be readily admitted. 



SECT. 111. A system so new and so different as this is from 

 the opinions at present so generally entertained of the blood, 

 perhaps may meet with much opposition, and as no doctrine 

 should be admitted in philosophy till it has stood the test of 

 the most careful and accurate examination, it may therefore be 

 some time before this is universally allowed ; for as the experi- 

 ments are numerous, and some of them not easily made, few 

 but lovers of science will take the necessary pains to inquire 

 into them : but we will be bold to assert, that whoever repeats 

 these experiments will be amply rewarded for his trouble. We 

 shall add, that when these facts are viewed with candour, and 

 experiments of this kind are prosecuted with industry, they 

 may probably direct the way to discover many operations of the 

 animal economy that are at present considered among the 

 inexplicable arcana of nature. 



SECT. 112. Having now finished the relation of the facts, 

 and the experiments to prove them, whether the conclusions 

 drawn from them are just we shall submit to the judgment of 

 the learned reader. 



