. Elements of pathological anatomy. Anatomy. CHAP. VII.] OBLITERATION OF THE THORACIC DUCT. 105 The thoracic duct is sometimes obliterated. This may- depend either upon a thickening of its tunics, upon the pres- ence of a foreign body, or upon the reciprocal adhesion of its valves, as in the interesting case narrated by Sir Astley Cooper.* In whatever way produced, this occurrence almost always impairs the nutritive function, though, owing to the numerous anastomoses of these vessels, and to their continua- tion with the veins, this process is perhaps never entirely interrupted, the chyle find
. Elements of pathological anatomy. Anatomy. CHAP. VII.] OBLITERATION OF THE THORACIC DUCT. 105 The thoracic duct is sometimes obliterated. This may- depend either upon a thickening of its tunics, upon the pres- ence of a foreign body, or upon the reciprocal adhesion of its valves, as in the interesting case narrated by Sir Astley Cooper.* In whatever way produced, this occurrence almost always impairs the nutritive function, though, owing to the numerous anastomoses of these vessels, and to their continua- tion with the veins, this process is perhaps never entirely interrupted, the chyle finding its way along collateral chan- nels, just as the blood does after the tying of an artery. The other portion of this system consists of small, flat- tened bodies, of an oval or rounded shape, which have been described by authors under the several names of absorbent glands, lym- phatic ganglions, or kernels. (Fig. 29.) Va- rying in size from two to ten lines, they are of the average diameter of the third of an inch, of a light pink color, and situated always in such places as abound in cellular tissue, particu- larly at the bends of the joints. At the groin, they occur in great numbers, as well as at the arm-pit, the side of the neck, the posterior mediastinal cavity, and in the cellular tissue of the pelvis and mesentery. In several of these places, they are connected in chains, or clusters. Each absorbent gland consists of a peculiar parenchymatous substance, surrounded by a thin capsule, made up essentially of condensed cellular tissue, as can be shown by maceration, ope, which sends numerous processes into the the gland, is abundantly supplied with blood forming upon it a beautiful net-work, which is always deeply injected in persons dying from asphyxia. On making a sec- tion of one of these bodies, it is found to consist of a homo- geneous, porous substance, soft and fleshy to the touch, the central portion of which is whiter and somewhat firmer than the exterior. This s
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Keywords: ., bookauthorgr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectanatomy
