Amoelboid cells in intestinal absorption. 17 



meroiisly of all near tlie blind eiid of the lacteal (pl.X, figs. Iand2). That 

 they pass into tMs vessel from tlie surrounding lymphoid tissue is certain, 

 for a lymphoid cell may often be seen, flxed by tlie reagent employed for 

 bardening the tissue, in the act of passing through the wall of the lacteal. 

 Bnt most of the amoeboid cells which thus pass into the lacteals 

 of the villi do not persist as such in the chyle. If it were so there 

 would be large numbers of these corpuscles in the chyle which leaves 

 the intestine by the lacteals of the mesentery and this is known not 

 to be the case. Even in the deeper lacteals of the mucous membrane 

 they are few in number, although passing in large numbers into the 

 lacteals of the villi. Either then the cells which have passed into 

 the lacteals of the villi pass out again m the same manner 

 iuto the surrounding tissue without being carried away from the 

 villus in the stream of chyle; or after reaching the interior of the 

 lacteal they become for the most part disintegrated and dissolved in its 

 Contents, their protoplasm and any materials it may contain contrib- 

 uting by its Solution towards the organic constituents of the chyle. 

 Of these two suppositions the former is on many accounts extremely 

 improbable and is contrary to all analogy; whereas in favour of the 

 second hypothesis several known facts regarding the lymph- corpuscles 

 might be adduced. For they have elsewhere been observed to pene- 

 trate into the radicles of the lymphatics but no instance so far as 

 I am aware, is recorded in which they have been seen to pass ia the 

 contrary direction. It is further a well ascertained fact that the 

 lymph- corpuscles (or white blood- corpuscles) become completely dis- 

 integrated and dissolved, protoplasm and nucleus, on the occurence of 

 very slight alterations of reaction or otherwise of the medium in which 

 they occur. Thus it has been shown by Alexander Schmidt and 

 others that when blood is drawn from the vessels many of the white 

 corpuscles entirely disappear. I have myself seen, whilst examiuing 

 specimens of the plasma of cooled horse's blood, many of the white 

 corpuscles rapidly disintegrating and disappearing under my eye. The 

 nucleus shares in this dissolution, although it may sometimes persist 

 a Short time after the protoplasm, but flnally nothing of the corpuscle 

 remains visible except a few scattered granules. Any one who may 

 have observed the eflfect of but a slight addition of alkali to a pre- 



Internationale Monatsschrift für Anat u. Hist. II, ^ 



