52 Veterinary Elements. 



glove finger a villus, and the finger the blood and lym- 

 phatic vessels and nerves. These villi are most abundant 

 in the small intestines, a few being found in the blind 

 gut (coecum) and a few in the large gut (great colon). 

 The coecum is situated in the right flank of the animal, 

 is quite large, is directed downwards and terminates by 

 a blind extremity; it receives two openings, one from 

 the small intestines which is guarded by a valve, the 

 other from the large colon. The great colon occupies 

 the central portion of the abdomen, is arranged in four 

 parts, two of which lie on the other two; its external sur- 

 face is marked by strong muscular bands. 



The taking in of the prepared food products is per- 

 formed by the blood vessels and the lacteals, which con- 

 stitute the entrance to the lymphatic system. The great 

 colon acts as an organ of absorption in horses; digestion 

 does not take place in the colon, although absorption 

 may. The special organs having to do with absorption 

 are the lymphatics, the lacteals being one form of them, 

 they originate in the mucous membrane of certain parts 

 of the intestines, carry and eventually empty into the 

 blood the products of digestion, which thus become avail- 

 able to the body. Pat is said to be absorbed as the result ' 

 of a selective action of the lymphatic cells. The mate- 

 rial taken into the blood by the lacteals is known as 

 chyle. Absorption then is the entrance of digested food 

 products into the circulation via the blood or lymph 

 channels; why these products should enter in is not fully 

 determined; it is held by some investigators to be due 

 to the selective or vital action of the lymph cells. 



