THE LYMPH. 349 



Of the Lymph. 



The term lymph has been very loosely applied by anato- 

 mists and physiologists, not only to the fluids of the lymphatic 

 vessels, but to the serum of the blood, to the transparent fluids 

 of the serous cavities, and to many albuminous and fibrinous 

 exudations. Latterly it has been more appropriately confined 

 to the contents of the general lymphatic system. 

 It has been collected for examination from the thoracic duct, 

 and from the absorbent trunks of the head, neck and upper 

 extremities, in many animals after several days starvation, when 

 no materials had been afforded for the formation of chyle ; it 

 has also been recently obtained by Miiller, from the human 

 subject, in the case of a young man in the hospital at Bonn. 

 This individual had received a cut on the back of the foot 

 which could not be made to cicatrise, and the divided absor- 

 bents threw out, when pressed upon, a large quantity of lymph, 

 which was transparent, inoderous, saline to the taste, with 

 alcaline properties, and which, in about ten minutes after being 

 collected, formed a delicate coagulum resembling a spider's 

 web. The lymph, when examined with the microscope, 

 presented many globules, much less abundant, however, and 

 smaller than those of the blood. During coagulation part of 

 these globules, were inclosed in the clot, but the greater part 

 were suspended in the serum. 



The coagulation was evidently produced by the solidification 

 of a substance previously fluid, which is considered to be fibrine, 

 and which, in passing to the solid state, enveloped a certain 

 portion of these globules, that was before free. 



Comparison between Chyle and Lymph. 



Both contain globules ; but they are few in number in the 

 lymph, and abundant in the chyle. Both contain fibrine in 

 solution. The most important difference between these fluids, 

 consists in the fatty matter, which the chyle holds in solution, 

 and which does not exist in the lymph. The other constituents, 

 fibrine albumen, salts, etc., are much the same in both. 

 VOL. ii. 30 



