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II. Some Particulars in the Anatomy of a Whale. By Mr. 
John Abernethy. Communicated by Everard Home, Esq. 
F. R. S. 
Read November 2 6, 1795. 
There are some particulars in the anatomy of the whale, 
which, I believe, have either entirely escaped observation, or 
have not been as yet communicated to the public. The parjts 
which in the whale correspond in situation and office with the 
mesenteric glands of other animals, differ considerably from 
those glands in structure. These peculiarities are not only 
curious in themselves, but are illustrative of circumstances, 
hitherto esteemed obscure, in the anatomy and oeconomy of 
the lymphatic glands in general. I therefore take the liberty 
of submitting the following account of them to the inspection 
of this learned Society. 
The animal, from which the parts that I am going to de- 
scribe were taken, was a male, of the genus named by Lin- 
naeus balaena. 
Being desirous of making an anatomical preparation, to 
shew the distribution of the mesenteric vessels and lacteals of 
the whale, I procured for this purpose a broad portion of the 
mesentery with the annexed intestine ; and proceeded in the 
first place to inject the blood vessels. The mesentery had 
been cut from the animal as close to the spine as possible : 
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