ACALEPILE. 



35 



is too frequently met with in the reasoning of 

 physiologists. We do not perceive, in either 

 case, how it can be referred to this power, nor 

 how it can be employed in any way to explain 

 or elucidate the effects that are produced.* 



tt is admitted that the chyle is elaborated 

 during its passage along the lacteals, and be- 

 comes more nearly assimilated, both in its phy- 

 sical and chemical properties, to the blood. 

 Still, however, its complete sanguification does 

 not take place until it leaves the lacteals, and 

 it becomes a very interesting subject of inquiry, 

 by what means this is effected ; in what degree 

 the function of respiration contributes to it, 

 whether the abstraction of carbone and the in- 

 troduction of oxygene, which is supposed to be 

 effected by the passage of the blood through 

 the lungs, is the immediate cause of the con- 

 version of chyle into blood ; whether it be 

 brought about more gradually, by the removal 

 of the various secretions and excretions, or 

 whether there be any particular organ, which 

 may more especially produce the change in 

 question. These are all of them points of high 

 interest, but as they are concerned in an indi- 

 rect manner only with the subject of this article, 

 and as they will be considered in the appro- 

 priate parts of this work, we shall not pursue 

 the inquiry any further. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. -- Abernethy, in Phil. Trans. 

 1776 and 1796. Adehn, in Diet. Scien. Med. 

 " Absorption" and " Lymphatique ," Ditto, Phy- 

 siologic ; Ditto, in Diet, de Med. " Absorption " 

 and " Chyliferes." Albinus, Tab. Vas. Chyl. fol. 

 Lugd. Batav. 1757. Alison's Outlines of Physio- 

 logy. Aselli, de Lactibus. 4to. Mediol. 1627, 

 Antommarchi, Prodromo di Mascagni ; Ditto, in 

 Ann. Sc. Nat. t. xviii. Barry's Exper. Researches. 

 8vo. Lond. 1826. Bartholin, De Lact. Thor. ; 

 Ditto, Anat. Reform ; Ditto, Vas. Lymph, hist, 

 nov. 12mo. Hafn. 1652, &c. Beclard, add. a 

 Bichat. Bell's Anat. Bellini, Istor. Vas. linf. di 

 Mascagni. Bichat, Anat. Gen. Bleuland, Exper. 

 Anat. 1784. Blumenbach's Comp. Anat. by Law- 

 rence. Boerhaave, Pralect. a Haller. Bolius, in 

 Haller, Disp. Anat. t. i. Bordeu, sur le Tissu 

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 scliet, in Diet, de Med. " Lymph. Syst." Buisson, 

 Divis. de Phys. Phen. Chaussier, in Diet. Scien. 

 Med. " Lymphatique." Ditto, in Bibl. Med. t. i. 

 Cheselden's Anat. Cloquet, Manuel. Coopei, in 

 Med.Rec. and Res. Cruikshank,on the Absorbents ; 

 Ditto, Letter to Clare. 4to. Lond. 1786. Currie's 

 Med. Rep. Desgenettes, in Journ. Med. t. Ixxxiv. 

 Douglas, Bibl. Anat. Dumas, Physiol. Duvernoi, 

 in Mem. Petrop. t. i. Edwards, sur 1'Influence des 

 A gens, &c Elliotson's Physiol. 5th edit. Eustachii 

 Oper. Anat. Fallopii Opera. Feller, Vas. Lymph. 

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On this subject the reader is referred to Mas- 

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Lineae. Hedwia, Disq. Ampull. Lieb, Hewson's 

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Ditto, Three Treatises. Monro (3), Elem. of 



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in Ann. Phil. vol. xiii. Quain's Elem. of Anat. 



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1775. Seff&las, in Majendie's Journ. t. ii. Sheldon, 



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t. ix. Young's Medical Literature. 



(J. Bostock.) 



ACALEPH^(from axaXjp9j a nettle) ; syn. 

 ur tic (E marine. Fr. Acalephes; Germ.Acalephen; 

 the name of a class of invertebrate animals. 

 They are all inhabitants of the sea, and are such 

 as are commonly known by the names of sea- 

 jelly, sea-nettle, Portuguese man-of-war, &c. 

 It is from the property, which many of these 

 animals possess, of irritating the surface of our 

 skin so as to produce nearly the same effect 

 as that resulting from the sting of a common 

 nettle, that the class derives its name. 



Aristotle used the word ax.a,hvi(pv) to de- 

 signate some of these animals ; but it was by 

 Cuvier that the class was formed, and the 

 term acalephae applied to it. As this class now 

 stands in the last edition of the Regne Ani- 

 mal, (t. iii. p. 274,) it is formed chiefly by 

 the animals constituting the Linnaean genus 

 Medusa and les acalephes hydrostatiques of 

 Cuvier. 



On many accounts the acalephae are objects 

 of extreme interest to the anatomist and phy- 

 siologist. They have occupied the attention 

 of the most learned naturalists of every age, 

 from the time of Pliny until the present day ; 

 their numbers are, perhaps, greater than those 



D 2 



