SCIENCE 



p AUG 5 



Friday, August 4, 1916 



CONTENTS 



The Method of Growth of the Lymphatic Sys- 

 tem : Professor Florence E. Sabin 145 



Statistical Physics: Professor W. S. Frank- 

 lin 158 



The Mining Industry 162 



The Optical Society of America 163 



Scientific Notes and News 164 



University and Educational News 167 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Atmospheric Transmission: Dr. Frank W. 

 Very. The Olympic Peninsula: Albert 

 B. Reagan. Nomenclatorial Facts: Morgan 

 Hebard. Sylvester and Cayley : Professor 

 G. A. Miller 168 



Scientific BooJcs: — 



Richardson and Landis on the Fundamental 

 Conceptions of Modem Mathematics: Pro- 

 fessor G. A. Miller. Curtis on Harvey's 

 Views on the Use of the Circulation of the 

 Blood : Dr. Percy M. Dawson 173 



Special Articles: — 



The Process of Feeding in the Oyster: 

 Professor Caswell Grave 178 



The American Association of Museums: Dr. 

 Paul M. Rea 181 



MSS. intended for publication aad books, etc., intended for 

 review should be sent to Professor J. MeKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-Hudson. N. Y. 



THE METHOD OF GROWTH OF THE 

 LYMPHATIC SYSTEM 1 



In selecting a title connected with the 

 general subject of the lymphatic system, 1 

 have chosen to emphasize the phase of the 

 subject with which the anatomist of to-day 

 is concerned. As a matter of fact, in study- 

 ing the problem of growth he is seeking to 

 understand the nature of the lymphatic 

 capillary. This is no new problem, but 

 rather it has dominated the study of the 

 lymphatic system for nearly three hundred 

 years. The colorless fluid of the tissues was 

 called lymph long before lymphatics were 

 discovered. It was thus natural that when 

 vessels were discovered containing this 

 fluid they were called lymphatics. As soon 

 as the lacteals and then the general lym- 

 phatics were discovered, the question arose 

 in regard to the nature of these vessels, 

 what was their extent and how they ended 

 in relation to the surrounding tissues. At 

 first the lymphatics were thought to begin 

 in wide mouths in the walls of the various 

 cavities of the body, and then, as these 

 openings proved difficult to find, attention 

 became focused on the relation of the lym- 

 phatics to the tissues. The number of terms 

 which have been used in seeking to analyze 

 the relation of the lymphatics to the tissues — ■ 

 for example lymph radicles, lymph rootlets, 

 lymph spaces, parenchymal spaces, tissue 

 spaces — will serve to illustrate how persist- 

 ent has been the quest of the anatomist 

 to understand the lymphatic capillary. 

 Stated in other terms, this is the time-hon- 

 ored question of open and closed lymphat- 

 ics. In presenting to you the conception 



i Address delivered to the Harvey Society of 

 New York City on December 18, 1915. 



