348 PARALYSIS OF ABSOREENTS. SECT. XXVIII. * 



As thofe lymphatic veffels confift generally of a 

 long neck or mouth, which drinks up its appropri- 

 ated fluid, and of a conglobate gland, in which this 

 fluid undergoes fome change, it happens, that feme- 

 times the mouth of the lymphatic, and fometimes 

 the belly or glandular part of it, becomes totally or 

 partially paralytic. In the former cafe, where the 

 mouths of the cutaneous lymphatics become torpid 

 or quiefcent, the fluid fecreted on the (kin ceafes to 

 be abforbed, and erodes the (kin by its faline acri- 

 mony, and produces eruptions termed herpes, the 

 difcharge from which is as fait, as the tears, which 

 are fecreted too faft to be reabforbed, as in grief, 

 or when the pun&a lacrymalia are obftrufted, and 

 which running down the cheek redden and inflame 

 the fkin. 



When the mouths of the lymphatics, which open 

 on the mucous membrane of the noftrifs, become 

 torpid, as on walking into the air in a frofty morn- 

 ing; the mucus, which continues to be fecreted, 

 has not its aqueous and faline part reabforbed, 

 which running over the upper lip inflames it, and 

 has a fait tafte, if it falls on the tongue. 



When the belly, or glandular part of thefe lym- 

 phatics, becomes torpid, the fluid abforbed by its 

 mouth ftagnates, and forms a tumour in the gland. 

 This difeafe is called the fcrophula. If thefe glands 

 fuppurate externally, they gradually heat, as tbofe 

 of the neck ; if they fuppurate without an opening 

 on the external habit, as the mefenteric glands, a 

 he&ic fever enfues, which deftroys the patient j if 

 they fuppurate in the lungs, a pulmonary confump- 

 tion enfues, which is believed thus to differ from 

 that deferibed in the preceding Section, in refpect 

 to its feat or proximate caufe. 



It is remarkable, that matter produced by fup- 

 puration will 'He concealed in the body many weeks, 

 or even months, without producing hectic fever ; 



but 



