CHAPTER II 



THE BLOOD AND THE LYMPH 



11. Cell Medium. We learn that the amoeba moves 

 about in water from which it obtains its food and to 

 which it gives off its wastes. Each living working cell 

 of our bodies lives in a liquid called lymph. The cells 

 cannot move about in search of food, and so lymph con- 

 taining all the foods necessary for the cells is brought 

 to them by the blood as it circulates to all parts of the 

 body. Lymph is a liquid that is found in all parts 

 of the body: in fingers and toes, in heart and lungs, 

 in stomach and liver, in muscles and bones. It is so 

 generally distributed that every cell is surrounded 

 by a small amount of lymph, just as the amoeba is sur- 

 rounded by water. If we put a sponge in water, it 

 will take up the liquid until it is completely rilled. 

 Now if we place the sponge on the table, we cannot see 

 the water within it, and yet we know that every tiny 

 particle of sponge is moist, and is bathed in water. In 

 a very similar way the lymph permeates the human 

 body and comes in contact with each and every cell. 



The cells get their nourishment directly from the 

 lymph and give off their waste materials and worn-out 

 parts to it. The blood supplies the lymph ivith food 



