PROPERTIES OF THE CHYLE AND THE LYMPH. 367 



The chyle from the body of an executed person contained, together with 

 90.5 per cent, of water: 



( fibrin ....... a trace 



Carl Schmidt found the following inorganic constituents in 1000 parts of chyle 

 from a horse : 



Sodium chlorid ...... 5-84 Sulphuric acid ..... 0.05 Magnesium phosphate 0.05 



Sodium ............ 1.17 Phosphoric acid. . . .0.05 Iron ............. a trace 



Potassium .......... 0.13 Calcium phosphate. 0.20 



The lymph, at the beginnings of the lymphatics, is likewise deficient 

 in cells, and clear and colorless. The fluid from the serous cavities and 

 synovial fluid exhibit similar features. A variation in the lymph, in 

 accordance with the tissues from which it is derived, can with certainty 

 be assumed, although, up to the present time, this has not been estab- 

 lished. After passing through the lymph-glands, the lymph becomes 

 richer in cellular elements and, probably in consequence of this, also 

 richer in solid constituents, particularly proteid and fat. In one cu. cm. 

 of lymph from a dog, 8200 lymph-corpuscles were counted. 



Hensen and Dahnhardt succeeded in collecting for examination pure 

 lymph in considerable amount from a lymphatic fistula on the thigh 

 of a human being. It had an alkaline reaction and a salty taste. The 

 relative composition of pure lymph, cerebrospinal fluid and pericardial 

 fluid is as follows : 



Pure Lymph. Cerebrospinal Fluid. Pericardial Fluid. 



(Hensen and Dahnhardt.) (Hoppe-Seyler.) (v. Gorup-Besanez.) 



Water ................ 98.63 98.74 95.51 



Solids ................. 1.37 1.25 4-48 



Fibrin ................. o.n 0.08 



Albumin .............. 0.14 0.03 0.06 2.46 



Alkali- albuminate ....... 0.09 



Extractives ............ 1-26 



Urea, leucin ............ 1.05 



Salts .................. 0.88 



Absorbed carbon dioxid, The cerebrospinal lymph contains a substance 



to 70 per cent, by volume, that reduces Fehling's solution, and that Naw- 



of which 50 per cent, could ratzki determined to be dextrose. This, how- 



be obtained by extraction ever, disappears soon after death. 

 and 20 per 'cent, was ob- 

 tained by addition of acid. 



100 parts of lymph-ash contain: 



Sodium chlorid ____ 74.48 Calcium ........... 0.98 Sulphuric acid ....... 1.28 



Sodium ........... 10.36 Magnesia .......... 0.27 Carbon dioxid ........ 8.21 



Potassium ......... 3.26 Phosphoric acid ---- 1.09 Iron oxid ............ 0.06 



Just as in the case of the blood, potassium and phosphoric acid, 

 of the inorganic constituents, predominate in the cells; while in the 

 lymph-serum, sodium preponderates, principally as sodium chlorid. 

 Only in the cerebrospinal fluid are the potassium-combinations and the 

 phosphates said to predominate. The amount of water in the lymph 

 rises and falls in correspondence with that in the blood. Of gases, 

 dog's lymph contains carbon dioxid in abundance (over 40 per cent, by 

 volume, of which 17 per cent, can be pumped out and 23 per cent, can 

 be removed by acids), traces of oxygen and 1.2 volumes per cent, of 

 nitrogen. 



