THE PERITONEAL CAVITY. 329 



In the course of some experiments on the action of certain 

 lymphagogues * it occurred to me that if colored substances 

 introduced into the abdominal cavity are carried into the 

 circulation mainly through the lymphatics, an acceleration 

 of the lymph flow might be accompanied by a more rapid or 

 extensive transference of the pigment along this channel, f 

 The first experiment was on a dog in which an intravenous 

 injection of heteroalbumose had produced pronounced lymph- 

 agogic effects together with complete stoppage of urinary 

 flow. Ten c.c. of strong indigo-carmine solution were intro- 

 duced into the peritoneal cavity. No blue could be detected 

 in the lymph collected within an hour ; the bluish tint of a 

 sample of blood serum, however, gave evidence of an active 

 absorption. In another animal previously receiving an intra- 

 venous injection of hemipeptone, the influence of which had 

 already disappeared, fifteen c.c. of the blue solution were in- 

 troduced into the peritoneal cavity. The blue color appeared 

 in the urine in fourteen minutes, in the lymph three minutes 

 later. Observations of this kind led to a series of experi- 

 ments on normal dogs under a variety of conditions. The 

 technique of the experiments was essentially like that adopted 

 by Starling and by Meltzer. The dogs were anaesthetized 

 (after 36 hours' fasting) by a subcutaneous injection of mor- 

 phine sulphate followed by chloroform-ether administration. 

 Cannulas were tied into the thoracic duct and both ureters. 

 For collecting the urine the ureter method seems to me to 

 be the preferable one, since it prevents any stagnation of 

 fluid in the bladder. But inasmuch as the method has been 

 criticised because it occasions the opening of the abdominal 

 cavity the urine was collected in some cases directly from 

 the bladder, in bitches, by introducing a catheter exteriorly 

 through the urethra. The results obtained were not modi- 



* Chittenden, Mendel, and Henderson, Amer. Jour. Physiol., 1899, ii, 

 p. 162. 



t In this connection it was, of course, remembered that the lymph formed 

 through the influence of these " lymphagogues " has its origin primarily in 

 the liver. 



