116 EXTIRPATION OF THE SPLEEN. 



economy are by no means well understood, and in health or 

 disease, it seems to have but little functional connexion with 

 other organs. In the female, it appears to sympathize more 

 with the organs of generation than any others. Its extirpation 

 in animals may take place without destroying life. This ope- 

 ration was practised by Dr. Schultz,* twenty-seven times in 

 dogs, cats, goats, and rabbits, and of which but one died from 

 the experiment. When the ground had healed, he remarked but 

 little functional disturbance in any of the organs of the body 

 except the generative. The chyle drawn from the thoracic 

 duct, presented the same appearance as that of animals in which 

 the experiment had not been practised ; a result not in accord- 

 ance with the opinion of Tiedemann and Gmelin, who affirm 

 the use of the spleen to be that of furnishing through its numer- 

 ous absorbent vessels, a fluid which reddens and assists in 

 animalizing the thoracic chyle. 



In the animals operated upon, the power of procreation was 

 greatly impaired, though not entirely destroyed. 



* Hecker's Annalen, torn. xii. 



