LYMPH (Lat. lyni vim. °Int. Inmpha, Oscan diampa. clear water: eon/meted with Thu plat's. clear. Ck. Maireiy, lam pi in. to shim). The term applied by physiologists to the fluid contained in the lymphatics (q.v.). II is a colorless or faintly yellowish-red fluid. of a rather saltish taste, and with an alkaline reaction. It eoagn hates shortly after its removal (rain the living body. and forms a jellylike. semi-solid Mass, which eontinues for some time to contract. so that at last the clot is very small. in propor tion to the expressed serum. On nieaoscupie ex amination. the lymph is seen to contain cor puscles which do not in any respect differ from the colorless blood-cells, molecular granules, fat globules, and occasionally blood-corpuscles. The chemical constituents of lymph seem to be pre cisely the same as those of blood, excepting the substance peculiar to the red corpuscles.
The lymph seems to owe its origin to two distinct sources, viz. to the ultimate radicles of the lymphatic system. which contribute the homogeneous Iluid portion, and the lymphatic glands, which contribute the corpuscles, granules, etc.. seen under the microscope.
The lymphaties convey the lymph into the reeeptaculunt chili, a long pouch which lies along the spinal column, or into the thoracic duct, which is a prolongation of the pouch, and finally empties into the left subelavian vein. The lym phatics of tile intestine carry chyle, during the process of digestion. which they empty into the reeeplaculum. They are known as laeteals. From experiments on animals, it has been inferred that upward of 2S pounds of lymph and chyle pass daily into the blood of an adult man. The uses
of the fluid are twofold: in the first place, to convey from the tissues to the blood effete mat ters, to be afterwards excreted by the skin, lungs, and kidneys; and secondly, to supply new ma terials for the formation of blood.
The term lymph has been applied to the fluid taken from the vaecinia vesicle and employed in vaccination (q.v.). It has also been applied to serums prepared front cultures of bacteria and used in inoculating for the prevention or treat ment of various germ diseases. (See ANTITOXI X ; SERUM THERAPY.) The name was also given in 1890 to the preparation made by Robert Koeh (q.v.) from cultures of the tubercle bacilli, and used as a test for the presence of tuberculosis. This preparation was called Koch's lymph, or tuberculin. Sec TUBERCULOSIS.
Beginning about 1899, a substance called 'goat lymph' came into vogue among the ignorant and credulous, to which was ascribed marvelous re cuperative powers. It was claimed to he a cure for the debility of age. This 'lymph' is a fluid ob tained by macerating goats' testicles in fluid, and is a copy of the old and discredited 'Brown &guard's elixir.' (See Buowitt-Stoumm.) In such a fluid there exist certain ptomaines, which cause a temporary stimulation when injected into the body and taken up by the circulation. See LYM CIIATIC.