256 A NEW ARRANGEMENT OF THE BLOODVESSELS. 
and one not. Nor can it be true that an afferent vessel, consisting 
of a spleen and vein, can cause the same kind of motion of blood 
as an afferent vessel consisting of a heart and artery. If, then, 
the hepatic afferent vessel does propel the blood through the hepatic 
capillaries, and not, as is commonly supposed, the systemic affe- 
rent vessel, and if it cannot cause either a constant or rapid motion, 
it must of necessity cause an intermittent and slow motion. The 
question therefore is, whether the hepatic afferent vessel, consist- 
ing of a spleen and vein, is as perfectly adapted for effecting an in- 
termittent and slow motion of the blood through the hepatic capil- 
laries as either the pulmonic or systemic afferent vessel, consisting 
of a heart and artery, is for effecting a constant and rapid motion 
of the blood through the pulmonic or systemic capillaries ! If it 
is, a great enigma is solved ; and heart and spleen, and artery and 
vein, may be regarded as ANATOMICAL ANTITHESES. 
But it may be said, it is only the venous portion of the spleen 
which is the roots or commencement of the hepatic afferent vessel. 
What is the splenic artery for] and the splenic capillaries ? The 
splenic artery, by dividing and subdividing, and ultimately split- 
ting up into innumerable hair-like tubes or vessels, forms the sple- 
nic capillaries, and these splenic capillaries simply furnish points 
of origin for the roots of the hepatic afferent vessel. These venous 
roots — the true spleen — could not originate from nothing ; and, 
moreover, they could not originate from any thing else than capil- 
laries. And how could there be any splenic capillaries if there 
were no splenic artery! Venous roots only were wanted; but 
capillaries were necessary for them to originate from, and an artery 
was necessary out of which to make those capillaries. If there 
were no splenic artery, there could be no splenic capillaries; no 
splenic capillaries, no splenic veins or spleen ; no spleen, no roots 
or commencement of the hepatic afferent vessel ; no roots or com- 
mencement, no trunk and no branches ; no hepatic afferent vessel, 
no hepatic vascular system ; no hepatic vascular system, no pul- 
monic vascular system ; no pulmonic, no systemic; no vascular 
system, no motion of blood; no motion of blood, no life! See, 
then, the utility and importance of this splenic artery : from its 
capillary terminations springs the hepatic afferent vessel, the first 
link in the great vascular chain ! And why is it so large an artery ! 
Because a large number of venous roots could not originate from a 
small number of capillaries, nor a large number of capillaries pro- 
ceed from a small-sized artery. Again; Why is it so tortuous! 
Why is not the splenic artery straight like the renal arteries! Be- 
cause it is not the hlood that is wanted, but the bloodvessel ; and 
the tortuosity of the artery has the effect of minimising the quan- 
tity of blood that passes through it. 
