LYMPH. .'J-jS 



It yielded no microscopic indications of urea. Nasse compared 

 the lymph with the serum from the hlood of a healthy horse, and 

 found a remarkable coincidence in the salts of the two fluids : 



Serum. Lymph. 



AlkaUne chlorides . . . 4-0.5.5 4-123 



Alkaline carbonates' . . . 1-1.30 1*135 



Alkaline sulphates . . . 0-311 0-233 



Alkaline phosphates . . . 0-115 0-120 



5-611 5-611 



The lymph, therefore, is a dilute serum, and the salts of the 

 blood which make their escape along with the colourless liquor 

 sanguinis from the capillaries, either return again in the same 

 proportions to each other as they were secreted, into the capil- 

 laries, or, which is most probable, they only penetrate into the 

 lymphatic vessels. Besides, there being more water in the 

 lymph than in the serum (in the ratio of 950 to 922) the two 

 fluids differ in the ratio of their solid constituents to the salts; 

 in the lymph, the salts amount to 11 '22, and in the serum to 

 9'65§ of the solid residue. It is probably this circumstance 

 that causes the much greater \'iscidity of the serum, which is 

 by no means solely dependent on the larger quantity of albumen 

 in solution.] 



All investigations with respect to the motion of the lymph 

 in the absorbents, and to the origin and formation of the lymph- 

 corpuscles, have hitherto been comparatively fruitless. Since 

 the primitive cells of the tissues are now regarded as organized 

 individuals possessing self-dependent powers of selecting their 

 own nutrimentj and of discharging the function of secretion, 

 we can no longer refer the passage of the lymph into the ter- 

 minal points of the absorbents to mere physical endosmosis and 

 exosmosis. I do not beUeve that we can altogether satisfactorily 

 refer the motion of the lymph to a vis a tergo. Whether the 

 lymph is propelled by a progressive contraction of the absorbent 

 vessels, as is maintained by some physiologists, is uncertain ; 

 thus much, however, is undoubted, that there are numerous 

 valves in the interior of the lymphatics to prevent the regur- 

 gitation of their fluid contents. From Weber's observations, 

 it appears that in the tadpole the motion of the lymph is from 

 10 to 20 times slower than that of the blood. 



' The oleate of soda is calculated as a carbonate. 



23 



