COMPOSITION OF LYMPH AND CHYLE. 289 



Lymph. Chyle. Blood. 



Water, 950. 935. 810. 



Corpuscles, ... 4. 92.8 



Albumen, . 39 11 31. 80 



Fibrin, . 0.75 2.8 



Extractive matter, 4.88 6.25 5.2 



Fatty matter, 0.09 15. 1.55 



Alkaline salts, 5.61 7. 6.7. 



Phosphateof lime and magnesia, oxide ) A 01 i n nr 



of iron, &c., j 



1000. 1000. 1000. 



The contents of the thoracic duct, including both the lymph 

 and chyle mixed, in an executed criminal, were examined by 

 Dr. Rees, who found them to consist of 



Water, 



Albumen and fibrin. 

 Extractive matter, . 

 Fatty " 



Saline " 



90.48 

 7.08 

 0.108 

 0.92 

 0.44 



From all these analyses of lymph and chyle, it appears that 

 they contain essentially the same organic constituents that are 

 found in the blood, viz., albumen, fibrin, and fatty matter, the 

 same saline substances, and iron. Their composition differs 

 from that of the blood in degree rather than in kind ; they 

 contain a less proportion of all the substances dissolved in the 

 water (see Nasse's analyses, just quoted), and much less fibrin. 

 The fibrin 1 of lymph, besides being less in quantity, appears to 

 be in a less elaborated state than that of the blood, coagulating 

 less rapidly and less firmly. According to Virchow, it never 

 coagulates, under ordinary circumstances, within the lymphatic 

 vessels, either during life or after death. These differences 

 gradually diminish, while the lymph and chyle, passing to- 

 wards and through the thoracic duct, gradually approach the 

 place at which they are to be mingled with the blood. For, in 

 the thoracic duct, besides the higher and more abundant de- 

 velopment of the fibrin, the lymph and chyle-corpuscles are 

 found more advanced towards their development into red 

 blood-corpuscles; sometimes even that development is com- 

 pleted, and the lymph has a pinkish tinge from the number of 

 red blood-corpuscles that it contains. 



The general result, therefore, of both the microscopic and 

 the chemical examinations of the lymph and chyle, demon~ 

 strate that they are rudimental blood ; their fluid part being, 



1 For observations on the nature of fibrin, see p. 62. 



