The discovery of the lymphatics in the seventeenth century. Part iii: the dethroning of the liver.
Around 1650, the thoracic chyle duct and the serous lymph vessels were discovered nearly simultaneously in four different places on the European continent. The new theory was that all ingested fluid, digested food, and serous lymph liquid were drained towards the subclavian veins, and then to the heart where they was mixed with and transformed into blood, which had been the supposed function of the liver. None of the discoverers proposed a valuable alternative function for the liver. Bile formation and filtration of serum from the blood to carry it through lymph vessels to the chyle sac (cysterna chyli) were the only remaining possible liver functions. The liver was dethroned from its presumed function as blood-forming organ with an epitaph starting with the words 'Stay, Wayfarer, Enclosed in this tomb is he who entombed very many'.
a Department of Vascular Surgery , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Raphael
R
Suy
a Department of Vascular Surgery , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Sarah
S
Thomis
a Department of Vascular Surgery , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Inge
I
Fourneau
D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D005602:France; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D008208:Lymphatic System
Bartholin; History; Pecquet; Rudbeck; Van Horne; chyle vessels