164, Mr. Home’s Experiments on Fluids, &c. 
ments made, there could be no difficulty in ascertaining 
whether there was any other channel between the stomach 
and the circulation of the blood. 
With this view I instituted the following experiment, 
which was made on the 29th of September 1810, by Mr. 
Brodie, assisted by Mr. William Brande and Mr. Gatcombe. 
I was unavoidably prevented from being present during the 
time of the experiment. 
Experiment 1 . 
A ligature was passed round the thoracic duct of a rabbit, 
just before it enters at the junction between the left jugular 
and subclavian veins; an ounce of strong infusion of rhubarb 
was then injected into the stomach. In three quarters of an 
hour some urine was voided, in which rhubarb was distinctly 
detected, by the addition of potash. An hour and a quarter 
after the injection of the rhubarb the animal was killed : a 
dram and half of urine was found in the bladder highly tinged 
with rhubarb, and the usual alteration of colour took place on 
the addition of potash. The coats of the thoracic duct had 
given way opposite the middle dorsal vertebra, and nearly ah 
ounce of chyle was found effused into the cavity of the thorax, 
beside a considerable quantity in the cellular membrane of the 
posterior mediastinum. Above the ruptured part the thoracic 
duct was entire, much distended with chyle ; and on 
tracing it upwards, the termination of the duct in the vein 
was found to be completely secured by the ligature. The 
lacteal and lymphatic vessels had given way in several parts 
of the abdomen, and chyle and lymph were extravasated un~ 
fferneath the peritoneum. 
