340 



My report, embracing those of Lieut. Mackai and the naturalists, 

 with the maps, plans, and d^a\^ings, will probably be the first pub- 

 lished ; and should Congress extend its usual liberality to my pro- 

 positions, all the volumes will be presented to the world in a 

 creditable manner. 



A paper was also read, entitled " On the Typical Forms of the 

 large Secreting Organs of the Human Body." By Thomas H. 

 Silvester, M.D. Communicated by Thomas Bell, Esq., Sec. R.S. 

 Received Nov. 11, 1853. 



The author in this paper offers some observations on the large 

 secreting organs of the human body, namely, — 



The lungs, 



The liver. 



The kidney. 



The stomach, 



The intestines, and 



The developments connected with reproduction. 

 He observes that there are great obstacles to an attempt to re- 

 duce them to a uniform type, but that further observation reveals 

 a typical uniformity, in adaptation to special purposes, unequalled in 

 the rest of the human oeconomy. The greatest hindrance to the 

 discovery of this law of formation has been the habit of regarding a 

 single element of the glandular organ as the whole and not a mere 

 part of the glandular apparatus ; for instance, the ovary has been 

 described as the ovuliferous gland, although in reality the latter 

 consists of the ovary, the Fallopian tubes, the uterus, and the vagina : 

 also the lung has been said to be a gland, meaning b}^ this expres- 

 sion the secreting portion ; whereas the lung-gland is composed of 

 the vesicular structure, the excretory ducts, the bronchi, larynx, 

 thyroid body, and even the nasal passages. The aim of the author 

 has been to discover the constant elements of the glandular system 

 and to compare them together in the several organs. 



A secreting gland is described as a more or less de^^eloped fold of 

 mucous membrane, or even a plain surface — in its simplest form a 

 follicle ; but in the organs to be described it is a highly complicated 

 apparatus, composed of many parts, each possessing a peculiar func- 

 tion. It is an unvarying characteristic of these structures that the 

 elements of which they are composed always bear the same relation 

 to each other in position. An accompanying diagram exhibited the 

 type of a perfect gland, constituted of five elements and an ap- 



pendage. 



1. The secreting element . . Red. 



2. The excretory element Blue. 



3. The receptacle element Yellow, 



4. The cervix with its glandular appendage .... Purple. 



5. The efferent duct Green. 



Sketches of the several glands of the human body accompanied the 

 paper, coloured in the same manner, so that the corresponding parts 

 might be seen at a glance. The elements are seldom wanting, 



