Pathology. -4G9 ther this be the reason or not, the fact is indisputable: the appearance is described to be as if the integuments were drawn in." fi. Physiological and Chemical Researches on the blood of the vena porta.-The first No. of the forty-fourth volume of Rust's Magasin contains an account of some highly interesting researches by Professor Schultz, respecting the chemical and physiological differences between the blood of the vena porta, and that of the ar¬ teries and other veins. The

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... llowing is a succinct summary of the results, as given in the Gazette Med. dc Paris, (15th August, 1835.) 1st. The blood of the vena porta is in general blacker than other venous blood, although this difference is not always manifest to the sight; it is not reddened by the neutral salts, or exposure to the atmosphere, or by the action of oxygen. 2nd. The blood of the vena porta does not generally coagulate, but when it does, the coagula are less firm than those of the other arteries. In those cases in which it has coagulated, it liquifies entirely or partly at the end of from twelve to twentyfour hours, and produces, as well as that which does not coagulate, a black sedi¬ ment, upon which is formed clear serum. 3d. The blood of the vena porta contains on an average, when fresh, 5.23 per cent., and when dry, 0.7*1 per cent, less fibrine than the blood of the arteries and the other veins. 4th. The liquid blood of the vena porta contains generally a little less solid matter (0.18 to 0.3 per cent.) than the arterial blood and the other venous blood. 5th. Its serum contains generally 1.58 less solid matter than the arterial serum, and 0.80 less than that of other venous blood. In the dry state, the first is of an ash-gray, the second yellow, the third greenish-yellow. Cth. The blood of the vena porta contains proportionablv more cruor and less albumen; the contrary is the case in the arterial blood: the dry cruor of the vena porta is brownish gray, that of the other veins deep red, that of the arteries bright red. 7th. The blood of the vena porta contains in its solid pans almost twice ns much fat as that of the arteries and the other veins. The proportion is as fol¬ lows: Blood of the vena porta, ---1.66 per cent. Arterial blood, ------0.92 " Venous blood of the other veins, --0.83 " 8th. The dry' serum of the vena porta contains but 0.*27 per cent, more fat than the dry serum of the arteries and the other veins. 9th. The albuminous cruor of the vena porta contains 1.11 per cent, more fat than that of the arterial blood, and 1.21 per cent, more than that of the blood of the oilier veins. 10th. It is in the fibrin that this difference is the greatest. The dry fibrin of the vena porta contains 10.70 per cent, of fat; that of the arteries 2.34 percent., so that the difference is 8.36 per cent. 11th. The fat of the blood of the vena porta is blackish brown and unctuous; that of arterial blood and other venous blood white, or yellowish-white and crys¬ talline; that of the white chyle to two-thirds liquid and one-third crystalline. PATHOLOGY. 7. On the Pathology of Scrofula. By Wm. Stores. M. D.-In the varied catalogue of morbid affections to which man is liable, there is scarcely one of such paramount importance-such engrossing interest, as scrofula, whether wc look to the obscurity of its origin, its insidious progress, the number and variety of the organs which it attacks, or its remarkable intractability, and extensive fa¬ tality. It is indeed, a subject of deep concern to every' one who is engaged in the pursuit of medical knowledge; and I do therefore entreat your undivided at¬ tention while I endeavour to give you some clear ideas as to the meaning of what has been termed the scrofulous diathesis, and scrofula itself. It is now generally admitted, that a great proportion of our improved know¬ ledge on the subject of scrofula, as well as manv other diseases, has been the No. XXXIV.-Fed. 1836. 17 QUARTERLY PERISCOPE. -iro result of those splendid anatomical and pathological investigations which have distinguished modern times. The older authors knew little of pathological or comparative anatomy, and hence it was, that scrofula, on which pathology has shed such a broad and searching light, was to them an intangible essence, imetning which they knew to exist, but could neither portray nor define ' If we look to what their opinions were on this subject,-opinions which, I re-wet to state, are not yet sufficiently exploded, we shall find that they are based on the then prevailing doctrines of exclusive humoralism; and that, instead of attempt¬ ing to reduce the phenomena of scrofula to a fixed and tangible formula they sought to explain it by referring to certain peccant and noxious humours in the system. But, in order to arrive at accurate notions on this subject, we must begin with the first formation of the human body; we must trace scrofula back to its primal source, and carefully explore its anatomical constitution. It we examine the capillary circulation in its physiological state, we shall find two kinds of circulating fluids, one distinguished by its red colour, and called Wood, the other transparent and whitish, or colourless, and termed lymph. In tact, we have two kinds of capillaries, one containing fibrin and colouring' matter Mended with an albuminous fluid, the other circulating only a colourless fluid containing little or no fibrin, and almost identical with serum. This is a fact which is now generally admitted. It has been supposed, that the red and white capillaries differ only in point of size, and this is rendered probable by the fact, jhat m cases ot inflammation, vessels which previously contained onlv a colour-Jess fluid become dilated, and arc rendered capable of transmitting' red blood 1 his goes very far in support of the doctrine, that the red and white capillaries diner onlv in respect to size. Let us take a few out of manv examples of this kind. The circulation of the serous membranes in their healthy state is entirely white, but, in an inflammatory condition, we can with the greatest facility trace numerous red vessels ramifying through their substance, as you may observe in inflammations of the arachnoid, pleura, peritoneum, and other white tissues. I oil may see the same also in the case of a mucous membrane, as in that of the conjunctiva where it passes over the transparent cornea. This condition sub¬ sides with the disappearance of the inflammatory action. i hese investigations, however, as to the cause of the difference between the led and white capillaries, are not of great moment in a pathological point of view; it will be sufficient for our purposes merely to admit this difference, and bear clucil} in mind the relative compositions of the fluids which circulate through them.' One of these, as has been already stated, is called blood, and contains a quantity of fibrin and colouring matter; the other is termed lymph, and is chiefly composed of water and albumen; the former is characterized by the presence of fibrin, a highly animnlized product as containing a large proportion of azote, the latter consists of materials of an inferior degree of animalization, and in which we can scarcely detect the existence of azote. Recollecting this remarkable dif¬ ference m the nature of the circulating fluids we find, when we come to examine the solids ol the body, that some organs are supplied with red blood, while orheis receive only white blood, and hence the grand physiological division of the body into red and irkife tissues; the red containing fibrin and colouring matter, anti enowed with great vitality; the white containing chiefly albumen, and possessing vital power m a comparatively weak and imperfect degree. To give you an ex¬ ample of this, let us take the muscular fibre (which mav be looked upon ns the most highly vitalized of animal product), and we shall find that its tissue is red it is supplied by red vessels, and exhibits an acute sensibility to external as well as internal stimuli. On the other hand, we obseive that the white tissues, such ns cartilage, tendon, and serous membrane, have a white and albuminous fluid circulating through them, that they arc of an inferiororganization, andofalowcr degree ol vitality, and that, in a state of health, they are almost insensible to or¬ dinary stimuli. In order to prove the close connexion which exists between the white tissues and a white circulation, it is necessary that we should admit that these tissues are vascular; and onthisnoint.it must hf» rnni'p<w*»il ili«ro i);(rornnnn . .. -. supplied with vessels and nerves like other parts oi me ooov, out tnat they are to be considered as a mere exudation. This is the opinion of Rudolphi. 4ri Pathology.