LYMPH FOLLICLES OF THE CONJUNCTIVA. 451 



on the other hand, the matrix consists of fibrillar connective 

 tissue, and there are no trachoma follicles. Lastly, Wolfring 

 also, like Stromeyer and Blumberg, regarded the lymph follicles 

 of the connective tissue as pathological structures. 



Schmid's investigations have been made on Dogs, Pigs, Sheep, 

 and children at various ages, beginning from the first week of 

 life, and in adult Rats, Cats, and Otters. He found that the 

 follicles in the above-named animals are usually present at 

 the inner angle of the eye, and at the line of reflection of the 

 conjunctiva of the third lid upon the bulbus. In order to make 

 the follicles distinctly recognisable with the naked eye, he 

 exposed the organ for a few hours to the action of a half per 

 cent, solution of hydrochloric acid. 



He was unable to discover any follicles in animals during 

 the first week of life. The tissue of the conjunctiva palpe- 

 brarum and fold of reflection is then a diffused adenoid tissue ; 

 only a relatively very small part of the conjunctiva bulbi near 

 the line of reflection presents this form of tissue. 



During the second week of life we find here and there 

 a greater abundance of vessels and a larger accumulation of 

 cells. The connective-tissue trabeculse and large bloodvessels 

 present a peculiar disposition and arrangement around these 

 spots, the outline of which is rendered still more prominent 

 in consequence of the inflection either of the epithelial sur- 

 face or of the submucous tissue. The follicle is complete at 

 the end of the third week of life. 



The structural relations described by Schmid show that 

 we are now dealing with bodies that are precisely similar to 

 the lymph follicles. 



It only remains to mention what has been done in regard to the 

 lymph paths. Schmid has effected their distension by means of 

 simple injection with a hand instrument. He recommends 

 the immediate neighbourhood of the limbus as the most appro- 

 priate for this purpose. He found, as Teichmann had already 

 shown to be the case in regard to the limbus conjunctive, 

 that a superficial and a deep plexus of lymphatics, connected 

 by many anastomoses with one another, are distributed 

 throughout the entire cornea. The lymphatics of the lim- 

 bus conjunctiva are connected with those of the rest of the 



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