LYMPH. 41? 



which these vessels take from the extremities to the thoracic duct 

 in which they terminate. But excellent plates of them were 

 published by Mascagni in 1790, to which the reader is referred 

 for a correct idea of their course. 



These vessels convey away a liquor which is exhaled from all 

 the serous membranes of the body, in order to lubricate these 

 surfaces, and keep them in a state proper for performing their 

 respective functions in the living body. What the amount of 

 this liquid is we have no means of determining, but it is convey- 

 ed by the lymphatics from all the cavities where it is generated 

 and conducted by them to the thoracic duct, where it is mixed 

 with the chyle and conveyed along with it into the blood. When 

 the quantity of lymph secreted exceeds that carried off by the 

 lymphatics it accumulates in these cavities, and produces the 

 disease called dropsy. 



According to M. Collard de Martigny, lymph scarcely flows 

 into the thoracic duct during the process of digestion, but it 

 does when that process is at an end. The flow increases and the 

 vessels become turgid by fasting ; but when abstinence is conti- 

 nued till death ensues, the lymphatics are destitute of lymph.* 



Reuss and Emmertf examined the lymph of a horse in 1799. 

 It was transparent, and had a pale-yellow colour, with a slight 

 tint of green. When examined by a powerful microscope, no 

 globules nor any other substance of a determinate form could be 

 distinguished in it. It was a liquid apparently homogeneous, 

 without smell, but having a slight taste similar to that of the se- 

 rum of blood. In about a quarter of an hour after it was taken 

 out of the vessels, it coagulated into a colourless jelly, which 

 gradually contracted and swam in a yellowish liquid. This coa- 

 gulum was considered as similar to the fibrin of blood : 92 grains 

 of lymph yielded one grain of fibrin, weighed while moist ; so 

 that the quantity of dry fibrin in lymph cannot amount to j^th 

 part. The residual serum being evaporated to dryness left 3*25 

 per cent, of dry residue, consisting principally of albumen, which 

 remained undissolved when the dry residue was washed with 

 water. W,hen this water was evaporated crystals of common salt 

 were deposited. 



Lymph from the neck of a horse was examined by Lassaigne 



* Journ. de Physiologic, viii. 174. f Scherer's Journ. v. 691, 



Dd 



