Abstract
Conclusions
This study reveals that the penicillin lymph level is more prolonged than the blood level. The appearance of penicillin in the blood earlier than in the lymph suggests that the absorption of penicillin takes place through the blood capillaries. It seems to be a regular occurrence that penicillin, after its passage from the blood into the lymphatic system and into the tissues, is retained longer in the last two.
That there is a definite accumulation of penicillin in the organs, particularly following repository injection, is clearly demonstrated by our data on dogs and further substantiated by other rat experiments. 4 The elimination through the lymphatics of this penicillin accumulated in the organs might be responsible for the prolongation of the lymph levels.
The penicillin found in the thoracic duct reaches the blood stream where, following its greater dilution, it becomes bacteriologically undetectable. In all probability, this undetectable penicillin is concentrated in the kidneys and then reappears in high concentrations in the urine.
By analogy, we may assume, from the frequent presence of penicillin in the organs (liver, kidney) after the end of the detectable lymph level, that the penicillin circulation in the lymphatic system is probably longer than can be demonstrated by the methods used.
The therapeutic interest of the prolonged penicillin lymph level is obvious considering that the total volumes of the lymph and of the blood are of the same magnitude 7 and that the “lymph comes closer to reflecting the actual environment of the body cells than any other fluid that can be collected” (Drinker and Joffey 8 ).
The well known role played by the lymphatic system in certain infections adds further interest to this observation.
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