Of a Letter of gSXT. Pecquet to c5\A. Cat' 
cavi , concerning a New Difcovery of the 
Communication of the Ductus Thoracicus 
rp'ith the Emulgent Vein : Taken out of the 
Journal des Scavans , Sff VII. i66j. 
i • . i 1 ) X ■. ' : ; T , . \ ' \ 
I Cannot forbear longer to inform you of the Experiments, 
which M. Perrault , M„ Gay ant, and I , made laft Night upon 
the Corps of a Woman, that died fomefew dayes after ihe was 
brought to bed. 
Our Defign was to continue the Difcovery of theVeftels , that 
carry the Chyle to the Breafts , of which I have indicated the 
Way, fag. 134. of the Second Edition of my Anatom. Experi- 
ments , printed 1654. But the Body being not fit for that , we 
referred thefearch thereof to another time 5 and we have had the 
good fortune to make another Difcovery , which may prove not 
lefs ufeful to Phyftck $ it is the Communication of the Milky Channel ,, 
now call’d the Du VI us Thoracicus , with the Emulgent Vein . The 
Experiments were thefe : 
1. M. Gay ant having difcovered th z Ductus Thoracic ms upon the 
7th and 8 th of th z Vertebras defcending from the Back , inferted 
a Quill into the faid DuEtus , and having tied it upon the Quill , he 
did blow into it: whereupon the Duff us was fill’d with \yind from 
the Quill unto the JSubclavial Vein „ This wind ifiiied at the A~- 
[sending Cava , which had been cut,, when he , whofe the Corps 
was , had lifted up the heart to make the demonftration of it, 
M. Gay ant would tie this Cava, but it was cut fofhort, that the 
Ligature could not hinder the wind to iffue out of it 5 which was the 
caufe, that it could not be thruft as far as the Breafts, I: would 
fupply this defed , by comprefiing with my finger that place of 
the Vein, at which the wind came out (which was at about the 
third Vertebra, defcending from the Back ) and M, Gay ant having: 
