126 THE FUNCTION 



of time, become hard and dry. Although these arguments do 

 not demonstrate the absorption of genuine chyle below the valve 

 of Fallopius, nevertheless it is rendered probable by the visible 

 existence of an abundance of lymphatics in the large intestines f , 

 having the same structure and function with the lacteals ; for 

 these absorb lymph from the intestines during the absence of 

 chyle. 



" But the very different structure of the internal coat of the 

 large intestines from that of the villous coat of the small, strongly 

 argues that they are not naturally intended to absorb chyle." 



Some contend that the lacteals take up nothing but chyle. 



Dr. Magendie h asserts that neither he nor Halle has ever 

 seen the chyle in these vessels tinged by coloured ingesta > and 

 that neither he nor the veterinary surgeon Flandrin ever found 

 any thing but chyle enter the lacteals. Lister's experiment of 

 making puppies swallow indigo, and finding the contents of the 

 lacteals blue, has succeeded with Musgrave, Haller, Blumen- 

 bach k , John Hunter, Fordyce *, and numerous others ; and J. 

 Hunter, in the presence of several persons, poured milk into the 

 intestines of a dog, and they all observed it quickly to fill 

 the lacteals. Among other insignificant objections, Dr. Magen- 

 die urges that J. Hunter should have first noticed whether the 

 vessels contained chyle, whereas it is expressly mentioned that, 

 before the milk was poured into the intestine, the lacteals were 

 seen distended by a nearly colourless and pellucid fluid." 1 



Tiedemann and Gmelin, however, have made an abundance of 

 these experiments with the same result as Magendie, though in 

 some few instances the substance introduced into the canal was 

 discovered in the chyle. Fiscinus and Seilar n say exactly the 

 same as Tiedemann and Gmelin. They occasionally could detect 

 metallic salts, and even turmeric and madder, in the chyle. Fran- 

 chini says, that, when the contents of the lacteals look blue, 



f " Mascagni, tab. xvi." 



E " See Nuck, De inventis novis ep. Anatomica, p. 146. sq." 

 h Precis Elemental, &c. t. ii. p. 178. sq. 

 1 Phil. Trans. No. 143. compared with No. 275. 

 k Instil. Physiol. 422. 

 1 On the Digestion of the Food, p. 122. 

 m Medical Com'/nentaries. 



n Dresden. Republished in the Journ. CompUmentaire du Dictionnaire des 

 Sc. Med. 



Bologna. J823. 



