The significance of hemal nodes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The investigation is based upon hemal nodes of dog, man, and sheep. The material can be arranged in a regressive series leading from a typical lymph node, except for the occurrence of blood in parenchyma and sinuses, to a lymphoid structure at a late stage of involution. These structures uniformly lack lymphatics. There is no evidence of direct luminal connection between the blood‐vascular supply and the sinuses. The observation that certain cervical and subcutaneous lymph nodes of the rabbit undergo a myeloid metaplasia following atrophy and disjunction of their lymphatics is used as an explanatory key of hemal nodes. According to our view, hemal nodes represent stages in the involution of transient lymph nodes. Disjunction of the lymphatics leaves the sinuses filled with entrapped lymphocytes. These differentiate into erythrocytes. These red blood cells may disintegrate and pass into solution or be removed either by giant cells or mononuclear phagocytes. Late stages in this process are represented by small irregular masses of lymphocytes, with wide sinuses practically free of blood.