ABSORPTION. 1 89 



mesentery to the receptaculum. Lymph is an alkaline, viscid 

 fluid of a specific gravity of about 1030 ; its amount in 24 hoars, 

 72 kilos or 158 pounds. Its composition is (Smith, from C. 

 Schmidt) : 



Water, 963.93 



Solids, 36.07 



Solids ai'e — 



Fibrin, \ 



Albumin, \ 28.84 



Fats, etc., J 



Inorganic salts 7.22 



36.06 



It contains lymph corpuscles, identical with white blood cor- 

 puscles in structure. 



The coui'se of the lymph is from the various lymphatics of the 

 periphery to the receptaculum, then through the thoracic duct 

 into the confluence of the jugulars. Chyle is lymph during diges- 

 tion, and contains emulsified fats in addition to its usual compo- 

 sition. It passes through the villi to the thoracic duct. Its com- 

 position (Charles, from Schmidt) is — 



Serum, 96.74 



Clot, 3.25 



Water, 88.7 



Solids, 1 1 .2 



Solids ai^e — 



Fats, 0.15 



Soaps, 0.03 



Fibrin, 3. 89 



Albumin, sugar, etc., 6.59 



Haematin, salts, 



After a meal the chyle is very abundant, during fasting very 

 small in amount. The flow of lymph is kept up by the contrac- 

 tion of their walls, by the aspiration of the diaphragm, contraction 

 of the abdominal muscles, and the peristalsis of the intestines. 



