TRANSUDATIONS RELATED TO BLOOD. 28 1 



Potassium oxide 0.16 per 1000. 



Sulphuric acid, SO 3 0.09 



PiO 5 as combined with alkalies 0.02 



Calcium and magnesium phosphates 0.26 



This result is approximately what one would expect from an 

 analysis of blood serum and is in fact about what has been 

 found. The two fluids have the same osmotic pressure, due 

 largely in both cases to salt content. 



Function of the Lymph. The amount of metabolic sub- 

 stances returned finally to the venous circulation through the 

 lymphatics does not appear to be great. The chief product 

 of oxidation, CO 2 , seems to be thrown back directly from the 

 lymph spaces to the smaller vessels leading to the venous sys- 

 tem. The lymph spaces into which the transuded serum flows 

 have apparently two ways of discharge. The bulk of the 

 liquid with some of the absorbed metabolic products passes, as 

 intimated, into the gradually enlarging lymphatic system, but 

 certain other complexes, and among them possibly the most 

 abundant oxidation products, evidently find their Avay imme- 

 diately into the capillary beginnings of the venous circulation. 

 It is not possible to give exact figures as to the relative amounts 

 of these products going the two courses, but it is accurately 

 known that the carbon dioxide pressure in the lymph is much 

 less than in the venous circulation, and the urea appears also 

 to be less. 



It appears to be pretty well established that the leucocytes 

 are active in hastening the destruction of complex products 

 of tissue waste. These cells seem to possess a marked chem- 

 ical activity which is manifested in a kind of digestion of the 

 grosser complexes separated in the tissue metabolism. The 

 normal end products of this breaking down process are not 

 formed at once. Possibly the leucocyte is one of the assist- 

 ing agents. It has been therefore held by many writers that 

 the formation of these lymph cells is probably the most im- 

 portant part of the work in the lymphatic system. 



