The Washington times., 1933-09-21
MS ALWAYS LEADERS SPORTS DESIGN EXCELLENT SPORSWEAF
Secrets OF
Health
By LOUIS e. BIsCH. MD. Ph.D

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lymph System
Most people think that it is
the blood stream that bathes
the tissues, carrying oxygen and
nutritive products to them, at
the same time taking from them
the waste substances produced
by their functioning.
Blood, however, is too thick
to ooze through the walls Of
the tiniest blood vessels. Only
part Of it can and does. 1t is
this part that is called lymph.
Lymph is a pale, straw
colored liquid. It actually
passes through blood vessel
walls and distributes itself
everywhere in organs and
tissues. Afterwards it is col
lected by set Of vessels Of it's
own.
Distinct System
In fact there is a distinct
lymph system the same as there
is a blood system.
The lympathic vessels are
minute, transparent and ex-
tremely delicate. They seem to
begin everywhere throughout
the body, so to speak. unite to
form larger and longer vessels,
and finally they empty them
selves into the blood stream
again, specifically into the
veins. Lymp empties into veins
instead of arteries because it
is surcharged with waste prod
uctS which must be carried by
the veins to the lungs to be
purified.
"Dropsy"-doctors technically
call it "oedema"-is a damming
up of accumulated lymp. There
is always some reason for this,
kidney or heart disorders for
instance, and frequent places
for oedema are the ankles and
the porous tissues under the
eyes. Such swelling or disten-
ton of tissues may, of course,
produce tenderness and pain.
The Modes"
In connection with the lymp
system one must needs mention
the lymph nodes"
These are almost universally,
but erroneously, referred to as
glands" They are not glands,
however, because they do not
secrete anything as do, for ex-
ample, the salivary glands.
Lymph nodes have a highly
important function. One might
refer to them as the safety
valves of the body. They arrest
and hold back the spread of in
lection - a germ and their
poisonS.
There are lymph nodes at the
sides of the neck, under the arm
pits, in the groin, and in many
other places. When they are
fighting an infection they be-
come enlarged and even de-
cidedly tender to the touch.
Lymph nodes possess another
highly valuable function. Not
only do they act as purifying
filters for the lymph that flows
through them, but they also
create new white blood cells,
which have been so aptly
termed the policemen of the
blood" and which are so i'm
portant in combating any in
fectious agent that may enter
the system.
Fight Diseases
It is no exaggeration to state
that were it not for the lymph
nodes the average life span
would be shortened by many
years. In other words, without
their aid disease would gain
headway too quickly.
When a lymph node becomes
infected it may succumb in the
struggle. That is to say, the
inflammation it is combating
becomes too much for it and
its own tissues become dis
eased. This frequently happens
in cases of tuberculosis in chill
dren. It is the nodes in the
neck that usually become en-
larged. Sometimes they must
be removed.
A lymph node may become
swollen for a time but then
return to normal size again.
This means that its struggle
against passing infection has
been successful.