Physiological chemistry (Volume 2).

  • Lehmann, Karl Gotthelf, 1812-1863.
Date:
1855
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiological chemistry (Volume 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    most varied stages of cell-formation. Hence a great variety of mole- cules have been distinguished in it, and the products of different stages of development have received the name of chyle-corpuscles (J. Muller,1 Schultz,2 R. Wagner,3 Henle,4 Nasse,5 Arnold,6 Kolliker,7 Herbst,8 II. Muller).9 As a more detailed description of these molecules falls rather within the province of histology than of chemistry, we refer our readers to the works of the above-mentioned observers, limiting ourselves^ here to a notice of the most important points in reference to the microscopical investigation of the molecules of the chyle. In the first place, chyle which has been taken from the minutest lacteals during digestion, exhibits ex- tremely minute granules, which cover the field of view like a thin veil. These granules, which have been especially examined by H. Muller, and recognized to be fat-granules surrounded by a protein-like capsule, re- main unaltered on the addition of water, but flow together and form the ordinary fat-globules when the chyle is treated with acetic acid or dilute caustic potash. A similar result is observed when the chyle is suffered to dry and the residue is again dissolved in water. Most ob- servers agree in the opinion that no true fat-globules are generally con- tained in the fresh chyle of animals, although they have frequently been found in human chyle; this may, however, be owing to the circumstance that the chyle which is usually taken from the body some time after death, may already be partially decomposed, and may therefore be acted upon by putrefaction, somewhat in the same manner as by the potash. In addition to these fine molecular granules, the chyle, more especially at the origins of the vessels, contains also coarser granules which are grouped into masses and appear to be held together by means of a hyaline substance (II. Muller), and distinct, sharply-defined nuclei with nucleoli, which are in some cases covered with individual granules (Kol- liker). It has generally been assumed that there are special chyle-corpuscles which are the distinguishing constituents of the chyle; but these bodies do not actually differ from the lymph-corpuscles or the colorless blood- corpuscles, being distinguished from the latter only in this, that they represent different stages of the development of these cells. They pre- sent considerable variety of size and form, exhibiting in some cases a distinct, and in others an indistinct nucleus, and sometimes even a cleft nucleus which frequently remains indistinct until it is treated with water, and hence these corpuscles appear in the chyle itself like mere faintly translucent vesicles. It is worthy of notice that many of these bodies have frequently a magnitude of l-200th of a line in the lacteals of moderate calibre, whilst the size of those in the chyle of the thoracic duct seldom exceeds l-250th or l-350th of a line. 1 Handb. d. Phys. Bd. 1, S. 235 [or English Translation, 2d Ed., vol. i. p. 281]. 2 System der Circulation. Stuttg. 1836, S. 45. s Beitr. z. vergl. Physiol. Bd. 2, S. 56. * Allg. Anat. S. 421-471. 5 Handworterb. der Physiol. Bd. 1, S. 226. 6 Anatomie, S. 260. ' Entwicklung8geschichte der Cephalopoden. Zurich, 1814, S. 50, and Zeitschr f rat. Med. Bd. 4, S. 142-147. 8 Lymphgefasssyst. u. seine Verrichtungen. Gotting. 1844, S. 603. « Zeitschr. f. rat. Med. Bd. 3, S. 239.