"have made serious objections against a French translation," and, upon the whole, to regret that the published work does not in this respect agree with the Specimen. We should have preferred having the modern translations (English, French, or German,) separate from the Greek text; for probably the greater number of those who would use them might be willing to purchase one or two inexpensive volumes, (such as Dr. Daremberg's own Euvres Choisies d'Hippocrate,) but would be deterred by the size and cost of five or six large tomes like his 'Oribasius.'

We do not feel competent to express any opinion as to the style of the translation, but will simply state, that, in those passages which we have examined, we have found it accurate, and (for a French work,) not unusually diffuse and wordy.

The notes relating to the text, which are as brief as possible, are placed at the bottom of each page; those which explain the subject-matter of the work are longer, and are placed at the end of the volume. We have been much struck by their copious but not ostentatious learning, and the editors seem in general to have avoided the excessive diffuseness which is often so fatal a temptation to a learned man writing notes in his own language.*

We think that some information should have been given about the authors quoted by Oribasius. For instance, in the seventh book (ch. 19, tome ii. p. 64) there is an extract on scarification, from a lost work by Apollonius. Now, it appears from Smith's 'Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography,' that there were nearly twenty ancient physicians of this name, and a person might possibly like to know which is the individual here quoted. This not unreasonable curiosity might have been satisfied in a very short note, stating that from comparing this chapter with a passage in one of the author's other works, it appears that Apollonius Pergamenus is the writer here meant. Probably, however, all information of this sort is reserved for the Index Historicus' at the end of the work, in which form the greatest amount of matter can be comprised in the smallest space.

We are glad to find that the editors propose to furnish each author with a complete set of indices. In the case of Oribasius, there will be five-viz., 1, verbal; 2, historical; 3, geographical; 4, pharmaceutical; and 5, general index of facts, opinions, &c.

We cannot help especially noticing the typographical beauty of the volumes, and their general accuracy, which reflects the highest credit on all the parties concerned. We were sorry to find that in the second and third volumes, in order to economize space, and thereby save expense, certain typographical alterations were made, which detract slightly from both the beauty and the utility of the work; but we are bound to add, that, if the first volume had appeared in the less expensive form, no one would have reason to be dissatisfied. We may mention that this country may claim some slight portion of reflected credit from the excellent typographical arrangement of the work, Dr. Daremberg states (p. xliv.) that in this respect he took as his model the Oxford edition of Theophilus, 'De Corporis Humani Fabrica,' which was considered, by one of our predecessors, at the time of its appearance in 1842, to be "decidedly the best edition of an ancient medical author with which they were acquainted."

We wished to have said something about the medical opinions of Oribasius himself, but find it impossible to do so, for in a work which is confessedly a mere compilation, even if there are any original observations of the writer, there are no means of distinguishing them. Freind quotes (from lib. xxiv. c. 8, tome iii. p. 311) his description of the salivary glands, as being "either omitted by Galen, or lost together with some other of Galen's works." It now appears that the passage in question is taken from the tenth (inedited) book of Galen's work, 'De Anatomicis Administrationibus.' Sprengel says that he himself states that he had dissected apes; but, upon referring to the passage referred to, we find (by the help of a very complete table of parallel chapters, given in the new edition) that it is not Oribasius himself who is speaking, but Galen.**

The difference in this respect between Latin and French notes is illustrated by the editors themselves; for wo find that the same amount of matter which is given in sie lines in the "Specimen" (p. 63), takes up eight longer lines in a smaller type in the published work (tome i. p. 575).

+ Eupor. i. 9, p. 578 C. ed. H. Steph. History of Physic, vol. i. p. 13.

Lib. vii. c. 5, § 24, tome ii. p. 35.

British and Foreign Medical Review, vol. xv. p. 441. Hist. de la Méd., tome ii. p. 185, French translation. **De Anat. Admin. iii. 9, tom. ii. 396, ed. Kühn.

Nevertheless, the works of Oribasius are some of the most valuable medical remains of antiquity, and will always be consulted by those who wish to know the opinions or mode of practice adopted by the early physicians; and while we think that Dr. Daremberg might have found a more popular writer for the commencement of his 'Bibliothèque, we think he could hardly have chosen one better fitted for exhibiting the extent of his qualifications for the task he has undertaken.

REVIEW X.

Die Physiologie der Thymus Drüse in Gesundheit und Krankheit vom Standpunkte experimentellex Forschung und klinischen Expahrung. Von ALEXANDER FRIEDLEBEN, Dr. Med. zu Frankfurt A.M.

The Physiology of the Thymus Gland in Health and Disease, elucidated by Experimental Inquiry and Clinical Experience. By ALEXANDER FRIEDLEBEN, M.D.-Frankfort, 1858. Pp. 336.

It is not often that we are called on to review a work which bears upon its surface the marks of such patient, intelligent, and earnest inquiry as the one before us. Without losing space in preamble, we proceed to lay an outline of it before our readers.

The first chapter treats of the structure and development of the thymus. In respect to the latter, the author differs from J. Simon and other observers, who describe the first rudiments of thymic structure as a straight tube, which subsequently throws out laterally numerous secondary cavities, "sessile follicles." The author finds the first trace of thymic structure to consist in a narrow streak of blastema lying in the common connective tissue which surrounds the origin of the great vessels. On all sides of this streak there shoot out wide roundish glandular vesicles, slightly notched, and having, even from the first, undulating surfaces. These appear between the seventh and eighth week. They gradually contract at their point of origin, and completely separate, so as to form closed vesicles, which in course of continuous growth present more and more a mulberry appearance, by fresh offsets from the walls of the vesicles. The completely closed vesicles are now only united with the primitive streak by a short tract of connective tissue. At a later period, when the glandular vesicles have still further multiplied, the primitive streak and the connecting tracts have only become longer and firmer, and show no trace of interior nuclei, or of a cavity. In fact, they change into mere connective tissue traversed by elastic fibres; the primitive streak becoming the median cord which serves as a support to the soft gland-tissue. The follicles filled, or over-filled, with secretion, seem at some points to rupture occasionally, and form communications with each other. It is not rare, according to the author, to see in the midst of a large vesicle, structures which appear to be separated vesicles undergoing regressive metamorphosis. They are either empty, or have some fatty contents. They shrink up, and at last are converted into the socalled compound concentric bodies of the thymus, figured by Vogel in the 'Icones Physiologica. Still later they change into simple concentric bodies, and finally vanish. Friedleben is very certain that these bodies are not found specially in wasting thymuses; they are often very numerous in the embryonal period, and in that of early infancy. The secretion of the thymus, the contents of the gland vesicles, Dr. Friedleben describes much as others have done; but he has examined and substantiated a very important point which he thinks all previous authors, except Restelli, have overlooked. This relates to the discovery in the blood of the thymic vein of numerous round nuclei, precisely similar to those which exist in the thymic cavities. Such nuclei were nowhere found in the blood of the jugu lar vein. Friedleben considers therefore the discovery of Restelli, that the secretion of the thymus-i.e., of the shaped particles formed by it-passes unaltered into

the venous current, to be completely confirmed. How this communication takes place between the gland cavities and the blood vessels he does not decide, but thinks it is by rupture of the soft structureless membrane of the vesicles.

We have repeated this observation ourselves; but in neither of two instances could we completely satisfy our mind that the dotted corpuscles found in the thymic cavities were present in the vein-blood. The characteristic dotted aspect is not very apparent until the corpuscles are floated in water, and we strongly suspect the alkaline blood-serum would much modify the appearance. Moreover, red globules, by pressure, &c., come to assume an appearance not much different from that of the dotted corpuscles. In one observation of thymic vein blood, these corpuscles certainly appeared to be present in small numbers; but after shrinking the red globules with salt solution, and again expanding them with water, the dotted globules were no longer to be discovered. We therefore suspend our judgment for the present, neither altogether denying nor corroborating Restelli's

announcement.

In the lymphatic vessels of a calf's thymus no such nuclei were found. This latter observation is contradictory to the result of Hewson's experiment, which he describes as follows:

"The chest of a calf being opened, a ligature was passed round the lower part of the thymus, and the parts contained within the ligature were taken out. On examining these very attentively, a great number of lymphatic vessels, containing a fluid almost similar to chyle, of a white colour, but not quite so opaque, were seen coming from every part of the gland."

This fluid being examined with a lens of 1-20 inch focus, appeared opaque; and like a drop of milk. But on diluting it with a few drops of the serum of human blood, or with solution of Glauber's salt, the same appearance was exhibited as was observed in examining the fluid found in the lymphatic glands-viz., a great number of small white solid particles, exactly resembling in size and shape the central particles in the vesicles of the blood, or such as are found in the fluid of the lymphatic glands. The contents of the same thymus examined in the same way were found exactly similar to the fluid from the lymphatics. This experiment of Hewson seems to be referred to by Dr. Bennet, who, noticing Mr. Simon's objection to the possibility of the corpuscles of the thymus finding their way into the lymphatic vessels by reason of the limitary membrane which surrounds and encloses them, says, "But that they do find their way into those vessels was shown by Hewson and Astley Cooper, who found them there." We do not find that the latter mentions the point; and with regard to Hewson's experiment, we cannot but think it likely that in tying his ligature round the thymus he ruptured its delicate vesicles, and caused extravasation of their contents into the surrounding areolar tissue, which then might be taken up by the lymphatics.

The old doctrine that the thymus possesses a central receptacular cavity, which has been maintained by many, is strongly opposed by the author. He scarcely seems to us to have comprehended accurately Mr. Simon's description, who does not make any mention of a central cavity, except the primary microscopic rudiment, which becomes quite merged and lost in the multitudinous over-crowding growth of gland vesicles.

Chapter II. introduces us to the growth of the thymus-a subject which our author has laboured at with rare diligence. During eight years he was engaged in collecting suitable materials. He objects to the conclusions of preceding observers, that they made no selection of their cases, so as to obtain proper data for comparison, but mingled together the well nourished and the lean-those who had died suddenly and those who had sunk after long and even colliquative diseases. For his own table he selected only the cases of well-nourished individuals dying suddenly. He is not content with simply determining the absolute weight of the thymus, but ascertains also the relative weight of the gland compared with that of the body, and similarly the relative values of the liver and spleen. The following table gives a general view of the results of these inquiries:

From these data he deduces the following conclusions:

1. From its first appearance in the embryo to the twenty-fifth year of life, the thymus constantly increases in length; subsequently it diminishes.

2. The absolute weight of the thymus increases without interruption all through the fœtal period to the end of the second year of life.

3. The specific weight of the thymus is higher in the first half of pregnancy, sinks gradually to the period of maturity, and after birth rises again to the second year; thenceforward it steadily decreases.

4. During pregnancy, the thymus enlarges nearly four times faster than the body, but from the full period up to puberty, the growth of the body preponderates over that of the thymus, so that in the age of boyhood, the increase in weight of the gland relatively to that of the body is not more than one-third.

5. The relative growth of the liver is greatest in the first half of pregnancy, sinks during the (rest of) embryonic independent life till puberty, but only in a limited

extent.

6. The relative growth of the spleen, on the contrary, is lowest in the first half of fœtal life, and increases from thence till puberty, with slight variation. Thus the thymus and the spleen preserve a kind of alternation in their development, the relative weight of the one going up as that of the other goes down. Friedleben thinks this is significant of a connexion between these two organs.

7. The individual differences in measurement, as well as in weight, of the thymus, are so great, that it is impossible to determine normal maxima and minima.

8. The time of the greatest secretory activity of the thymus occurs in the second half-year of independent life; after this, it slowly lessens.

9. As its secretory function diminishes, the connective tissue of the thymus increases correspondingly with the growth of the body. This induces the involution of the

organ.

These conclusions are in the main confirmative of those arrived at by Mr. Simon and several others, though they also go beyond and extend them in several interesting particulars. We confess, however, to a feeling of preference for the opinion of the observer just named, because, while expressed in terms less exact, it is for that very reason more true. Remarking on the various circumstances that influence development, he says:

"These various influences do not admit of being weighed in the balance, nor can the vital maturity which they develop be measured by the vibrations of the pendulum. And if in assigning the highest development of the thymus to the age of early growth, I use an expression that is chargeable with some vagueness, I would observe that on that very account it is better adapted to our purpose."

Chapter III. examines the normal mode of disappearance of the thymus. Friedleben lays stress on the different conditions of the gland in atrophy from disease, and in its natural involution. He says they are not only physiologically, but morphologically, unlike. The normal involution of the thymus, according to him, proceeds from increasing development of its connective tissue, which causes a shrinking and retraction of the

glandular structure by its pressure. At the same time fat-cells form in the increasing fibrous woof, while the contents of the gland cavities degenerate fattily. The author gives figures to show how the amount of fat in the thymus increases from 14 per cent. in a five months' old suckling, to 7 per cent. at the age of puberty, and subsequently even to 48 per cent. We entertain considerable doubts whether his view respecting the compression caused by the increasing fibrous tissue is correct. Our own examinations have not shown us any such notable amount of fibrous tissue, except in one case, where a man, aged thirty, had a thymus weighing 537 grains, in which the gland tissue appeared to be replaced to a great extent by fibroid stroma. The man died of extensive paralysis, without discoverable organic change in the nervous centres. The author observes that all parts of the thymus do not atrophy in a uniform simultaneous manner. As a rule, the lowest parts, the furthest removed from the chief trunks of the nutrient vessels, are the first to waste and disappear. He has discovered that the arteries contract and become obliterated, while the veins enlarge and become wider with varicose dilatations in the smallest branches. He thinks the venous enlargement must lead to a gradual obliteration of the smaller vein branches, a conclusion in which we cannot very readily follow him. Nor do we feel much encouraged to put implicit faith in the preceding statements when he adds, that in a woman, aged forty-five, not even the larger venous trunks of the thymus could be found, though the flattened organ was covered over with an abundant capillary network, which he supposes opened into collateral veins. Surely the development of collateral channels (he states before that the same thing occurs with the obliterated arteries) is not much like an organ undergoing wasting. He has further examined the condition of the sympathetic nerves that accompany the blood vessels, and finds that they undergo degeneration after the attainment of adult age. Extirpation of the lowest cervical and superior thoracic ganglia gave rise to degeneration of the vaso-motor nerves on the left side of the thymus by the ninth day, as well as to hyperamic injection of the gland in various spots, and to a relaxed and flabby state of its tissue, and a change of its shape. We must, lastly, take decided exception to the author's statement, that increased development of fibrous tissue takes place in all glands with advancing age. Some relative increase there may be as the proper tissue wastes, but scarce any otherwise. When such change does occur, it is a pathological process, quite independent of advancing age.

The fifth chapter relates to the chemistry of the thymus, which the author seems to have investigated very diligently. He strongly avers, in contradiction to Frerichs and Stadeler, that the fresh thymic tissue or its expressed fluid is constantly acid; and this, whether the gland belong to a fœtus or an independent being, to early or late life, or whatever the food may have been, or whatever illness the person may have died of. He also demonstrates the incorrectness of the view of these same inquirers as to the thymic tissue containing ammoniacal salts. In the thymus of the calf and ox he finds the following inorganic matters: Potash, soda, lime, magnesia, phosphoric acid, chlorine, sulphuric acid. The results of a quantitative examination of the earthy phosphates and alkaline salts at different ages are given in a table at p. 49, from which he deduces "the following highly interesting and novel conclusion," that from the period of embryonic life, especially after birth, the earthy phosphates are constantly increasing during the period of the animal's growth, and that the nearer it comes to the completion of its bodily development, and the time for the involution of the thymus, the more do these salts disappear and become replaced by alkaline salts. From th of the amount of alkaline salts in the embryo, they mount up to, and fall again to th and even th of the same. This their behaviour, is more remarkable because in two other organs (the spleen and liver) no similar increase and diminution is observed. In the spleen, indeed, there are notable variations of the amount of these salts, but in an opposite direction. In the liver they vary very little after the period of birth. The ashes of the blood-serum of the calf contain a somewhat higher per-centage of these salts than those of our blood-serum. During the suckling age of the calf, the proportion of potash to soda is 2:1; afterwards 14: 1. The change probably depends on the food containing an increased quantity of common salt. Further analyses of the ash of the thymus of oxen at periods of three weeks, twelve months, and fifteen months (vide