A N A T 
BACK VIEW. 
A, The occipital veflels.” B, The deep temporal vef- 
fels. C, Tlie cervical veflels. D, The fcapulary velfels. 
E, F, Deep humeral branches communicating with others 
at the elbow. G, The pofterior interofleous veflels. H, In¬ 
tel coital veflels. I, Arteriae & venae glutese. K, Sciatic 
veflels. L, Arteria & vena poplitea. M, Pofterior tibial 
veflels. N, Fibular velfels. The veflels being fo fmall, 
both vein and artery are reprefented by one trunk. 
OF THE ABSORBENT SYSTEM. 
The abforbent fyftem, befides the glands, is divided into 
three parts, viz. the la&eals, the lymphatic veflels, and 
the thoracic du£t. The ladteals belong to the inteftinal 
tube ; the lymphatics, to all the other parts of the body ; 
and the thoracic duft is the common trunk which receives 
both the ladteals and. lymphatics. We (hall give a parti¬ 
cular defcription of thefe, chiefly from Hewfon, Mafcagni, 
and Cruiklhank, by whole indullry this part of anatomy 
has been fo greatly illuftrated. 
Lymphatics of the Lower Extremities. —Thefe 
may be divided into two kinds, viz. a fuperficial, and a 
deep-feated. The fuperficial confift of numerous velfels 
that lie between the Ikin and the mufcles, and belong to 
the furface of the body or the Ikin, and to the cellular 
melnbrane which lies immediately under it. Numerous 
large branches of them can be readily enough difcovered 
in die limbs of droplical fubjedts. Many of them run upon 
the top of the foot; one of which is reprefented in the 
annexed Anatomical Plate VIII. Fig. i. 10; others are 
generally to be found juft under the inner ankle ; tubes 
have been introduced into two of them, whereby they have 
been filled the whole length of the lower extremity, as is 
feen in this figure. 
The lymphatic glands of the groin are fix, feven, eight, 
or upwards; they vary much in number: of thefe, fome 
lie in the very angle between the thigh and the abdomen, 
and others lie a few inches down on the fore-part of the 
thigTi. The lymphatic veflels enter the lowermoft of thefe 
glands, which in the fubject of this figure are four in num¬ 
ber, viz. 15, 15; 16, 16. One or more of thefe branches, 
however, frequently avoids the glands, as at 17; which 
afterwards bends over it at 18 to the gland 19; from which 
veflels go to the other lymphatic glands 20, 20, that lie in 
the angle between the thigh and the abdomen, and fome- 
times a few enter no glands till they reach thofe on the in- 
fide of Poupart’s ligament. Numerous lymphatics alfo 
pafs into the inguinal glands from the fuperficial parts of 
the abdomen and pelvis. It is into thefe upper glands 
alone that the lymphatic veflels of the genitals enter, fo 
that the venereal bubo, which arifes in conf'equence of an 
abforption of matter from the organs of generation, is al¬ 
ways feated in thofe upper glands ; and the lower glands, 
15, 15; 16, 16; are never affedted, except by the regur¬ 
gitation of the matter, or from their vicinity to the glands 
iirft difeafed, which very feldom happens. And, as the 
upper glands are affedted by the abforption of matter from 
the genitals, fo the lower are commonly firft affected from 
the abforption of the acrid matter of an ulcer, difeafed 
joint, or carious bone, in the parts below thefe glands ; a 
circumftance that may aflift us in the diagnofis of thefe 
two kinds of buboes: remembering, however, that this 
rule may be liable to an exception from one or more of the 
lymphatic veflels palling the lower glands, and only enter¬ 
ing at the upper, as is feen at 17, in the fame figure. 
In the penis three principal veflels commonly take their 
origin from the prepuce. Thefe foon unite, but afterwards 
feparate upon the middle of the dorfum penis into two 
parts ; one of which goes to the inguinal glands on the 
right fide, the other to thofe of the left. The deep-feated 
lymphatics arife from the glands and body of the penis, 
and accompany the arteries into the low er part of the pel¬ 
vis. Hence, if venereal matter be abforbed by thefe vef- 
fels, the conftitution may be affedted without our being 
aware of it. The lymphatic veflels' of the tefticle are nu- 
Vol,. I. No. 40. 
O M Y. 629 
merous and very large for the fize of this organ. They 
arife from its coats, from the body of the tefticle, and from 
the epididymis ; and, after running along the fpermatic 
cord, they terminate in the lumbar glands. In their courfe 
they have few communications with each other. The 
lymphatics of the ferotum, which are alio numerous, go 
chiefly to the glands of the groin, though fome pafs along 
wdth thofe of the tefticle to the lumbar glands. The lym¬ 
phatic velfels of the penis and ferotum having joined thofe 
of the thigh, a net-work is formed, w hich enters the ab¬ 
domen under the edge of the tendon of the external ob¬ 
lique mufcle, called PouparCs ligament : one of thefe vef- 
fels is feen in Fig. 5. 24. This plexus on the inlide of 
Poupart’s ligament confifts of many branches ; fome of 
which embrace the iliac artery,’of which one is feen at 27, 
but the greateft number of them pafs up on the inlide of 
the artery, as in feen in Fig. 1. 21, 22; and in Fig. 5. 27. 
The fuperficial lymphatics of the inferior extremity are 
the trunks of thofe velfels which abforb from the Ikin and 
the cellular membrane immediately under it; but they 
likewife communicate with tine deep-feated abforbents : 
and the fame thing is to be obferved with refpect to the 
lymphatics on all the other parts of the furface of the 
body. Upon thefe velfels, from the foot to the groin, 
there are commonly no other lymphatic glands than thofe 
of the ham. But this rule has likewife fome exceptions : 
for, even at the lower part of the leg, there is a very final! 
one in the fubjedt from which this plate was taken, as re¬ 
prefented in Fig. 1.13. and in another fubjedt Mr. Hewfon 
faw a fmall lymphatic gland near 14; from which it may 
be concluded, that the lymphatic glands, even in the hu¬ 
man body, are in number and fituation dilferent in diffe¬ 
rent fubjedts. 
Belides thefe fuperficial lymphatic veflels which lie above 
all the mufcles, there are others deeper feated, that lie 
among the mufcles, and accompany the arteries; and like 
the veins, one lies on each fide of the artery. Of thefe the 
principal trunks can be difcovered by cutting down to the 
pofterior tibial artery, near the inner ankle. By introdu¬ 
cing tubes into thefe parts, they may be injedted ; as hath 
been done in feveral fubjedts, one of which is reprefented 
in Fig. 2. of the fame plate. From the inner ankle at 13, 
thefe velfels pafs up along with the pofterior tibial artery, 
being hid among the mufcles on the back-part of the tibia. 
About the middle of the leg they fometimes, though rare¬ 
ly, enter a fmall gland at 15, which has been fuppofed to 
exift more frequently than it really does. Afterw ards they 
are feen in the back-part of the ham, (till lying clofe to. 
the artery, and in the ham they pafs through two or three 
glands which are commonly found there, viz. 18, 19, 20. 
But, after they have palled thefe glands, they commonly 
divide into two or three branches, which accompany the 
crural.artery, and pafs with it through the perforation in 
the triceps mufcle. The mufcle is divided in the prepa¬ 
ration from which this figure was taken, in order to give 
a better view of the lymphatics; and the cut ends of the 
mufcle appear at 6, 6, though not very diftindtly, from 
their being flirunk by drying. The lymphatic veflels hav¬ 
ing perforated the triceps, pafs up with the artery, as is 
feen at 22, 23, and fometimes enter a gland 24, which is 
deeper feated than thole that appear in the groin : from 
this gland they pafs into the fuperficial glands, reprefented 
at 15, 15; 16, 16; where the lymph of the deep-leated 
and of the fuperficial lymphatics is mixed, and is convey¬ 
ed into the body by the velfels feen juft above in the 
fame figure. At this part likewife the lymph from the 
penis and ferotum is mixed with that brought by the tw'o 
lets of lymphatics from the lower extremities ; and the 
whole enters the abdomen, under Poupart’s ligament, by 
the plexus of velfels reprefented in Fig. 1. 21, and in a 
part of it in Fig. 5. 24. 
Fig. 1. reprefe'nts the low’er extremity, with its more 
fuperficial lymphatic veflels; No. 1, is the fpine of the os 
ilium ; 2, the os pubis ; 3, the iliac artery ; 4, the knee. 
The other references have been explained in the courfe of 
y X the 
