A Description of the Lymphatios of the Urethra and Neck of the Bladder. By Henry Watson, Surgeon to...

A Description of the Lymphatios of the Urethra and Neck of the Bladder. By Henry Watson,Surgeon to the Westminster Hospital, and F. R. S.Author(s): Henry WatsonSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 59 (1769), pp. 392-398Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/105852 .

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L 392 J

IJIV. Xq Drt*ax nf zbc Eltopha*^>s ef the Urexhra ao3cl X4 ef tSe WBlacXr. X

EIctlly Wat{^on, Sg to tbg BreRnin- Rer wital, nd F R. S.

Read Dec. z4> t4 E valoular lvmphatics, as a Eflean

1769. 1 °f veflils, igmerzs, are allowed to llave a rery confidertlble oflice itl the animal cco- nomy ; but an oflice, fuboadinate to that of tlle bloo{ veSels: at leall, tlley 1lave been fuppoid by rnany of the phyElologills, not of fo much confequence) in pre- ferving the health and lifE of the anitual.

If sve confider, tllat an obRruded thosctc duA, which is in fiEt but a large lymplaatic, will dellroy lit:E as cffbdually as a ligature made upon the axtt itElf; sse muR conclude the Iymphatics to be velEels of much greater importance tha1w Come have imagined: nearly of as much confequence, in ltpporting and carrylng on the animal filnEtions, as the arteries and veins themSelves: fbr if an obIlrudrion of the ao7Mas or great artery, can produce a srery quick, or fudden, death; an orded thcracoc dSli will as certainly lead to a tedious and lingering one.

The caSe of the obfirut?red du2, though not indeed ofin Seen, yee is every now and then tobe meewith. It is the one caufe of a mara not knowns or not attended to: generally owinrg to an enlargement of

the



[ 393 ] the Iymphatic glands that lie near to and in contaE with the duEt : genwrally too attended NYitll obAruc tions in the more external conglobate glands; there fore always to 1De furpeEted, wheIe we have thefuX a?pearancesS accompanied mvith a gradual w;LRinvg of thefolids. In children and young fubgeds we meet with proofs of tIain difeafe; a difeafe, which never collld have been learntS but from the diSedrion of morbid bodies.

Tlae lymphatics are faid to be tlle true, and only fyIlem-of abSorbing veINels. I will fuppofe they are; though perhaps this opinion may yet admit of fome doubts: however, they certainly are the veffiels thae take up the watery lates from moR parts of tlze body, and return it back to be agai-n mixed with the blood. This free abEorption of the Iymph is the gteat fecu- rity again fuSocation, injurious preRilre, and an obflrudted circulation in every part of tlle animal. S 1Hany valualJle diScoveries lzave lately been made,

of the exiRence of theSe veffiels in birds} fi(h and vmphibii. T1tlat nzeR accurate and indefatigable ana- tomi{l, Dr. Hunter, has Wfit fiully and explicitly upon the lymphatics in tlze llutllan body; and yetX Rill it is to be wi(lzedS we lnesv nlor e abollt thetn.

We have not been able to fee tlacir arigins in any one ilRance; we have not tIaced t}zem tE}ros.lbhthe whole body, as we have done th: blocril-veXele. It is reafonable to fuppofe tlley abou-d unvcrt,.1v; bTUt it is douStful whether in nlany pzltts they exsf, or not; fo, the moIt eminent anatoX1-liliS cDIJ1^t-e) tlre

are tnany parts, ln vvthlcl llitllerto, tl-lcy la;;vc not been able to difcover thetn.

VoL.LIX. Eec- It



[ 396 ] It -tnay r3 -therefore be unentertaining to e-llis

learlled Society, who fo Rudioully promote every uSe- ful inquiry, not only to 11ave a dexllonflrative proof of tlae exifl;eIlce of lympllatics in a part of tlle 13uman

body wllere tlley have not as yet been diScovered; but alfo to llave ata opporturlity of knowing that the true origin of tllefe vetlels may eafily be fhewn.

As to their precife origitl, it has incleed been con- jeEtured and vely reafonably, from experiments a ,t,fP}-tOrt.

Jt has been fuppofed they arife fronz all the furfaces at)d cavities of the body ; becauSe t}<in fluids and fubtle

particles will be taken up from fuch cavities, or fur-

{'dCtS, and; will be readily cnough conveyed into tbe

blood : but then it has never been lllew n, that they do

arife from any one filch furface o cavity.

Commonly, the lymphatics are never filled from

their beginnings, or little orifices. Wllen they have

been injeded, it }zas alsvays been done by uGI2g fome

violence; either by cutting into themt bur{ting, or

tearing them afiunder; fo that the iniedion rather

-gets itl fome hozv at the f1de, and not at the extre-

nzity of the veINel - -

Tlle laflteal veIcls perllaps cannot, at lea{} have

nelrer been, to tny kllourledge injeded frc>n the

cavity of the inteiline in t}<e dead b-ody. It is

prefamed, t}zat, as the lvtlzphatics are finilar to tllefe

ill other refpedrs, their Oligi^S nou{t be alSo fimilar ::

that if the orifices of the l.lEtcals are too fine to be

cliScovered, the mouths of the Iytnph.ltics are alfo too

delicate to be traced out. But with reg2rd to ehe

Iymphatics of the huluan urinary bladder, it is cer-

tsI:irlly otherwife. Y\luet the part is frelll arld Evundv we



[ 395 ] we may, with a Iittle trouble, biover into the mouths of theSe veliels, fmall as they are; or introduce a fine briAle into them, if we have but a Ready hand andfa good eye. J h2ve frequentlydone both, in the pre fence- of many -witneffie.s; fo that, without ufing thc knife or lancet, the leaR force or violence, air may be thl'OWtl into the lympllatics from their very be- gitlnings; and mercury may be made to paSs by the bme oxifices.

Though I have faid we may eafily have an ocular denzonfira£ion of the origin or mouth of the Iympha- tic, in this part of the human body, 1 ma:l(t confefs, it is not always we can have that fatisEadion : no part is moFe frequently difeafed: inflammation folders up the mouths of tbefe little veffiels; and it is not to be expeEed we can- {hew their orifices when the urethra is in fuch a Rate.

It will always require fome dexterity to catch the opening of thxe lymphatic; l5ut the bri{tle, once fairly introduceds veill generally pais witll great eaSe fome way within the veflel.

IIere then we mav fatisfy ourSelves in what manner the Iytnphatics do adtuallv begin frotll furfaces; and to t}wofe who, without ever having feen ehe origin of a lymphsatic, bave neverthelefs reafoned fo wella and fe ,tuRly, upon this fiubjeEt, it may peshaps afford fome pleafure and fatisfaftion to fi[d their conXcAures agree- ing fo perfedly with the RruEture.

Tvhe fltuation of tlle IymphaticsS in generale is rll perficial ; tllat is to f-ay, they are moftly to be feen upon furfaces; though there are fo-me deeper Seated onesa which accompany the blood veSels, They have been

E e e a. well



r 396 ] well deficribed by autlwors, as excee(linb filze, tet)zler, and tranfparent veScls, frequently jc)illing illtO Oll

another, and interfeded l)y a nunlber of *rery delicate nlembranous pouclles or valves; fo tllat, laving an illjeEtion throssZn into thenz, they give tlle appearance of being full of little lenots. - Tlle Iymphatics are appalent enougll, whell tlley unite and grow large; lJut rrom ttleir exility, want of colour, and tranrparenc, are vely difllcult to be dif- covered before.

Owing to theSe circumItances it is, that th.eir origins have nearer before been Secn; and that in many parts of the ltody, s7vhere they are nevertlaelefs fuppofied to exi0, they ilill lie unnoticedX Haller, after fpeaking of thefe veXels in Inany other parts of t119 body, goes

on thus: %a a pene veniunt mihi -minus nota

s; funt, Sed ditta Cowpero. Alia huc a veI1culis fe- is minalibus tendunt, atlt certe ab earutn vicinia, aut a g; veflcae uritlaria fede, aut ab ipEa detnum verlca, qua sc quidem vaScula iterutn fateor nzilli nondum vifa sc eiNe." So tlzat Haller, who knows fo well ehe flrudure of the human body, kllovvs n-othing of theSe Iymphatics of the bladder, or metnbranous yortion of the arethrv.

The Iymphatics of tlle *lrinary-human bladder and ?ltethra, firll nlew themfelves Oll cach fide tlle <verX-

monfanS>n or catStgallirZngiZZssX and by vely Iittle orio fices take their origin from tlle internal metnl)rane tlzat

lines the urettJra and lzladder, on whoSe furface they open.

In their natural Rate, they appear: like fo many fine threads lying clofe together, but diverging afterwards,

- as



[ 397 :1 as tlley paEs over the proflate gland and neck of tT-Xt bladder, and inoCculating or communicatingvely fre quently, they form a kind of network or embroidery. I rom hence they are continued through the cellular melnbrane behind the internal coat of the bladder, and fieem to join. with the lymphatics of the vefculz fieeninales, to be continued with thetn to the neigi<- bollring glands, and fO on to the thoracic duEc.

I have not been able to find Iymphatics in any other part of the urethra; indeed, this canal Seems to be perfedcly void of them till we cotne ta itS nlembrAnOU3 portion, where we meet with thefe I have been de- icribing; and it rnay be remarked, that here they are placed in that part: of the uretbra where the greateft qllantity of moiIture is fspplied. Very probably the healing up the mouths of theSe delicate veSels, by fre- quent inflammation and induration, may give rife tc) that obflcinate Jitllicidiaz which is feldom or ever cured; owing to an accumulation of thin fluids, with a faulty abforption.

TheSe Iymphatics of the urethrv and bladder alfo point out the road, by which any fubtle sious may paSss with the lymph, diredly into the maSs of blood, and contaminate the wholchabit, svithout giving the leaIl appearance of arly local diSorder.

To have a clearer idea of the veXels 1 haere been treating of, I muIl beg leave to refer to tbe drawing annexed, in which theSe lymphatics of the urinary bladder and urethra, in the human body are care- i;lSy and rery accurately delineated.

Expla-



Explanation of T AB. XVI.

This drawing is an exaft repreSentation of the Iym- phatics of the urethra and neck of the bladder, as they appear after harring lten injedved with mercury, and preServed in Epirits.

A. The membranous;portion of ehc aretbra nit

open. :B B. Bri{lles in the dudts from the sesuleJrezinales. C C. Prollate gland. D D. T}se iIlferior part of the bladder laid open E E. BriIlles in the ureters where they open iDto due

bladder. FF. The Iymphatics,

LV. EclipSes

[ 398 ]



- 0 Xl - S ls - - - - S S - -| - - - - - -

- tfezZoMe*W -- - - y - -- - - - - - --- w - - -



A Description of the Lymphatios of the Urethra and Neck of the Bladder. By Henry Watson, Surgeon to...

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