220 
presence of blood corpuscules which have ac- 
cidentally entered it. After coagulation had 
taken place, the lymph was again examined 
under the microscope, the globules were all 
found entangled in the clot; scarcely one re- 
mained in the transparent fluid. The clot, when 
disturbed, torn, and pressed, contracted to less 
than one-twentieth of its original bulk, and the 
few blood corpuscules it contained, being now 
approximated closely together in the contracted 
pi gave it a slightly red tint. On examining 
the serum of this lymph under the micro- 
pe a week afterwards, when putrefaction 
commenced, numerous exceedingly minute 
animaicules were seen diffused through it in 
active motion. 
Miiller gives an account of a fluid which 
makes its appearance after a portion of the skin 
of a frog is removed from the muscles; this 
fluid he considers to be pure lymph; he de- 
scribes it as perfectly transparent and colourless, 
having a saline taste, but void of smell. Under 
the microscope he detected in it a number of 
colourless and spherical globules, about one- 
fourth of the magnitude of the elliptical blood 
corpuscule of the same animal, a few of which 
were unavoidably mixed with this lymph. 
Miiller also describes what he considers to be 
human lymph, obtained from a small fistulous 
opening on a man’s foot, the remains of a wound 
received on the instep; by pressure from the 
great toe towards the opening a transparent 
fluid could be made to transude; this fluid also 
contained colourless spherical globules, much 
smaller than the blood corpuscules. It, as 
well as that obtained from the frog, coagulated 
spontaneously, and appeared to possess the 
other properties of lymph. After coagulation 
had taken place in the fluid obtained from the 
man’s foot, he observed that the globules were 
partly found in the clot, while some remained 
in the fluid surrounding the clot. In the horse’s 
lymph examined by myself, all the globules 
were entangled in the clot. 
The red colour of the contents of the tho- 
racic duct, especially in the horse, has been 
remarked by most observers, but the cause 
of this redness has not been well ascer- 
tained. Breschet says, in his Systeme Lym- 
phatique, page 160: “Ce qu'il efit été in- 
téressant surtout de déterminer, c’est si la ma- 
titre colorante qui teint quelquefois le chyle, 
et méme la lymphe, y est dissoute, ou si elle 
affecte soit toujours, soit au moins quelque- 
fois, la méme disposition que celle des globules 
du sang.” I have frequently examined micro- 
“so ore this reddish fluid of the thoracic duct, 
and have invariably found it to depend upon 
the presence of red corpuscules pe 4 the 
form and size of those of the blood. I believe 
_ that these red corpuscules are extraneous to the 
lymph, that their presence is accidental, and 
should be considered as a post-mortem occur- 
rence. I would attribute their existence in the 
contents of the thoracic duct to the circum- 
stance that very many lymphatics must be di- 
vided with the other structures, before the tho- 
racic duct or indeed any large lymphatic can 
be exposed; these divided lymphatics must 
LYMPHATIC AND LACTEAL SYSTEM. 
necessarily have blood applied to their ¢ 
extremities ; the vessels being ceive t! 
blood corpuscules, and convey them from ¢ 
parts to the thoracic duct. is is not mer 
conjecture. I have seen the blood enter th 
divided vessels ia the following experime 
made for the purpose. On the under sur 
of the liver of a horse recently killed I 
served some large lymphatics filled wit 
beautifully transparent fluid. I made an i 
sion into dalivet over these vessels, of course 
viding them, and ina few seconds saw ro 
veying a reddish fluid towards the thoracie di 
The lymph bears great resemblance to 
liquor sanguinis both in its re ad 
mical characters. Miiller, who had obsery 
that the blood of frogs will not coagulate ¥ 
they are kept out of water in summer for e 
or ten days, mentions the coincidence ¢ 
when this is the case, the transp fi 
which he obtained by removing a piece of 
from a living frog, ma which he co ceiver 
be the lymph of the animal, was also incap: 
of spontaneous coagulation. aA 
Leuret and Lassaigne give the follow 
analysis of lymph obtained from the lymp 
tics of the neck in a horse :-— ' a 
Water seis sacs. eweece 
Albumen .... .... 
Fibrine cs ..2<s +2 eoee 
Chloride of sodium... .. } 
2 
Chloride of potassium ... 
Sod eee eee eee eee e ee 
a 
Phosphate of lime... .. .. 
Salivary matter, ozmazome, 
phates, muriates, and acetates of soda ai 
potash, with phosphate of potash, have in ade 
tion been detected in the lymph by i 
and Gmelin. . a 
Chevreul analysed some lymph procured 1 
Magendie from the thoracic duct of a hoi 
after five days’ abstinence. Its compositio 
was as follows :— 
- 
PUe 
Wallet ives s'. tse eee econ 9296 
Filtine ss ssa<e5 wes ee 42 
Albumen scidcseiww meee 61:0 | 
Muriate of soda...... Per 61 
Carbonate of soda........ 1°83 
Phosphate of lime........ 2? 
Carbonate of magnesia .... 5 
Carbonate of lime..... eee 5 
10000 
M. Magendie and M. Collard de Martign 
have examined the lymph in animals, after 
priving them altogether of sustenance; w Po 
the tenth or twelfth day the lymph was fou 
in greater abundance, ph: to have more 0! 
the red tinge, and to be more consistent; but 
after this period it diminished in quantity, be- 
came more watery and had less of the rose tint. 
The latter physiologist rejects altogether the 
opinion entertained by some, that the lymp 
would assume a redder colour the longer the 
animal fasted. “a 
