LYMPHATIC PRESSURES IN EXTREMITIES OF DOGS.

Abstract

In reviewing the literature concerning the peripheral lymphatic system, one discovers a relative lack of information with regard to its basic physiology, in terms of accurate measurements of peripheral intralymphatic pressure. In 1933, Drinker and Field 1 reported tying a glass T-tube into a lymphatic lying below the popliteal lymph node of the dog, attaching the tube to a manometer and measuring pressure in centimeters of water. The dog's foot was attached to a rotator which flexed and extended the limb at a rate of 73 times/minute. The pressures which were measured under these conditions were as follows: 41 cm of water after ten minutes and 68 cm of water after 40 minutes of exercise. They recorded no intralymphatic pressure with the animal at rest. In 1932, McMaster and Hudack 2 measured the pressure indirectly in the lymphatics of the mouse's ear as 2-4 cm of water. They rendered the