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Show The Lymphatic Glands. T/Jc Lympbatiu Glands. 82 nerallv round cavities; which is conceived to be a farther confirmation of cells, ‘and of its having been formed in separate cells. All of these appear- ances I have certainly seen; the first less frequently than any of the rest. But the argument, though originating with Malpighi, is by no means a good one. The same appearances are found in the diseases of other parts, where anatomists have not so much as supposed regular and uniform cells. In the shin, cellular membrane, amongst the muscles, in the testicle, and many 83 his being of the same opinion with Professor Mckel; for he says, page 154, " The supposition of red veins opening into a lymphatic gland appears im- probable, from an observation concerning the structure of glands, for which we are indebted to Dr. Mekel, viz. that they are made of a convo- luted vessel." Nay, so far did he carry his idea of the simplicity of the other parts, the same diseases are found-The next arguments are adduced absorbent glands, that an absorbent vessel splitting into two, and instantly uniting again, was enough, according to him, to constitute a gland. Mr. Falconer, his friend and successor, says, that the vessels splitting into four, i'mm actual injections of these glands with quicksilver, and the appearances afterwards in the microscope. The glands thus injected, dried, and made transparent, have been subjected to the microscope; and one party of ana- and uniting again, constitutes a gland, which he calls the simplest he had seen, and which he has also engraved; he also describes the plexus the lymphatics make on the arcola of the mesentery in turtle, as glands; this tourists have seen, or supposed they saw, convoluted vessels only; another, principally cells. As there are very great authorities on both sides, I shall is an unwarrantable liberty. This appearance all other anatomists have distinguished by the name of plexus; and Mr. Hewson, in his work, expressly says, there are no glands in the turtle, &c. there is a fleshy substance, which is peculiar to the absorbent glands in all animals in which they are found, mention the principal ones, and then give my own observations. Albinus Ihave already mentioned, as supporting the doctrine, that the glands consisted ofeonvoluted vessels only. He allowed, indeed, the ap- pearance of acini, but held them to be uninjeeted vessels. " Albinus autem pro vasorum glomerulis habuit in qua: liquor injectus non penetrasset, hinc observavit multos videri acinos, quando omnia vasa non repleta sunt, paucos si repleveris." He was seconded in this doctrine by the first anatomists of his age. Haller says, " Demum aceuratissimi incisores Hunterus, Al- hinus, et Mekclius glandulas conglobati generis pro mero plexu vasorum lymphatieorum ant lacteorum liabent quze celluloso textui uniantur." Mr. Hewson alsojoincd that class. Dr. Hunter was certainly formerly of this Opinion, but changed it for many years before he died. Professor Mckel, says, speaking ofthe lymphatic glands, "Glandula ejusmodi microscopio contemplata tiihil nisi plexus vasorum ex lymphatico vase ortorum apparet." . Mr. Hewson, in his publication on the Absorbent System, promises, in a future work, to give an account of the lymphatic and thymus glands. As death prevented him from fulfilling his promise, I collect what must have been his opinion oftliis matter, however, from a passage in his Expe- rimental Enquiries, and front preparations of his injecting, which are still which in this plexus is wanting: the arteries, veins, and nerves, are also not distributed on these plexus as in real glands; and the making them glands seems to me an amazing stretch of the imagination in these anatomists. In opposition to these authorities, there are also some of the first ana- mists.--Malpighi held, that the lymphatic glands were cellular, but in the same manner as other glands, that is, they consisted of acini. " Marcellus Malpighius rotundos acinos, Haller says, intus caves in area fibrarum (cellulosae nempe telae) positos, plenos liquore pelliteido cinerco in morbis vero tartareo et descripsit,et contra Nuckium non admittentem tuitus est." And again, " Et quidem in cavos suos acinos lympham tttique effundi statuit Malpighius, et experimentum addit, atramcntum nempe injectum in loculis morbosa: glandulze hepatis stagnasse"-Morgagni also defended this opinion of Malpighi's. Haller in his life of Morgagni, says, on this Slll‘h ject, " Epistola tertia fere ad glandulas sebaceas, ct ad glandulas in univer- sum pertinet quarum et viscerum fabricam vesicularem contra Ruyschium studct confirniare ct Malpigliinm tueri,"-Nnek, though he did not ad- mit Malpighi's acini, yet he maintained that the glands were cellular in in the collection in Windmill Street; in which, many years ago, he ob- another sense; to wit, like moss, or like the cellular membrane. served to me, no cells were to be seen. fessor Mekcl, speaking of this opinion, says, " Nuckius his glandulis snh- M 2 stantiam In the passage alluded to, he hints his Pro- |