96 ABSORPTION AND CIRCULATION. [BOOK I. 



being reserved for description under the head of 

 " digestion," at sect. 44. Lymphatics are small tubes, 

 with mouths that suck up or absorb the thin watery 

 particles of the solids, one or more being placed on 

 each gland of these parts. Some idea of the im- 

 portant nature of this part of the animal system 

 may be formed from the circumstance that mercury 

 applied to a part of the body particularly glandular, 

 undergoes immediate absorption by the lymphatics, 

 and is conveyed by this means through the jugular 

 vein to the blood. Persons who may be unfor- 

 tunately ordered to rub in mercurial ointment on 

 the thighs will feel a fulness under the left ear in 

 the course of a few minutes, according to the pre- 

 vious state of their bodies. How mercury acts 

 upon the second species of absorbents — the lacteals, 

 remains to be seen hereafter. The tendency of both 

 is towards the heart, or rather the left collar-bone ; 

 increasing in size and diminishing in number, until 

 the lymphatic duct meeting with the milky juices of 

 its co-absorbent in the thorax, the mixture soon be- 

 comes blood by the action of air in the lungs, as 

 described at sect. 39. As the lacteals, it will be 

 seen, absorb only nutritious juices, so the lymphatics 

 absorb none but offensive ones, as the matter of dis- 

 eases, wounds, spavins, broken bones, ulcers, and the 

 useless part of the deposite made by the arteries, as 

 said at section 27 ; these being mixed, recompose 

 blood, which passes through the heart, there receives 

 fresh vital powers, as hereafter is described, and thence 

 to the liver, there to be purged of its bitter quality, 



