366 PROPERTIES OF THE CHYLE AND THE LYMPH. 



of the reticulum, are carried onward by the lymph-stream, so that, after flowing 

 through the glands, the lymph is richer in cells. The lymph-cells lying in the 

 range of the follicular bands may again migrate through the narrow meshes of the 

 reticulum (o) into the lymph-paths, to make good the loss. The formation of 

 the lymph-cells in the follicular bands either takes place locally by division, or 

 new cells migrate from the capillary blood-vessels into the follicular bands. 

 Further on, the muscular activity of the capsule and of the trabeculae should 

 not be underestimated in the movement of the lymph through the glands. Such 

 muscular contraction will express the gland like a sponge. The direction 

 of the fluid thus discharged is governed by the presence of valves within the 

 related lymphatics. 



Of the chemical substances in the lymph-glands, in addition to those of the 

 lymph, leucin and the xanthin-bodies are worthy of mention. 



PROPERTIES OF THE CHYLE AND THE LYMPH. 



Both chyle and lymph are colorless, albuminous, clear fluids, contain- 

 ing lymph-cells. The latter are in reality the same elements that enter 

 the circulation with the lymph-stream, and within the former are desig- 

 nated white blood-corpuscles. The source of the lymph-cells is dis- 

 cussed on p. 370. As, in rare cases, isolated red blood-corpuscles also 

 pass out through the walls of the vessels and into the commencement of the 

 lymph- vessels again, the presence of erythrocytes in the lymph, rarely 

 in the chyle, is readily explained. Red blood-corpuscles can also pass 

 over from the veins into the central extremities of the large lymph- 

 trunks when the pressure in the veins is high. Lymph and chyle con- 

 tain also molecular granules, and fragments of disintegrated leukocytes; 

 chyle contains, in addition, numerous fat-granules. 



In the lymph a distinction is made between the lymph-plasma and 

 the contained lymph-cells or leukocytes, whose chemical constituents 

 are considered on p. 64. The lymph- plasma contains both of the fibrin- 

 factors, derived from disintegrated lymph-cells. They cause coagulation 

 of the lymph after withdrawal from the body, and in this process the 

 soft, gelatinous, scanty lymph-clot, which forms but slowly, includes 

 the still surviving lymph-cells within it. The fluid remaining, the 

 lymph-serum, contains alkali-albuminates, serum-albumin and some 

 diastatic ferment derived from the blood. Of the coagulable albumi- 

 nates about 37 per cent, consist of paraglobulin. 



The chyle, which is the sole fluid contained in the lymphatic vessels of 

 the digestive tract (lacteals), can be obtained only in small amounts, before 

 its admixture with the lymph, and it can, therefore, be examined only 

 with great difficulty. A small number of lymph-cells are already present 

 in the first beginnings of the lacteals in the villi; beyond the intestinal 

 wall and, still more, after passing through the mesenteric glands, their 

 number increases. On the other hand, the amount of the solid constitu- 

 ents of the chyle, which is increased after abundant good digestion, is 

 decidedly diminished after the chyle has become mixed with lymph. 

 After the ingestion of food rich in fat the chyle contains many fat-drop- 

 lets (from 2 to 4 /* in diameter), which, however, decrease conspicuously 

 in the further course of the current. The amount of fibrin-factors in 

 the chyle increases with increase in the number of lymph-cells. In addi- 

 tion, chyle contains sugar (up to 2 per cent.), glycogen, peptone adherent 

 to the leukocytes, diastatic ferment absorbed from the intestine, and 

 lactates after ingestion of starches, traces of urea and leucin. 



