| RefNo | AP/26/4 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Unpublished paper, 'On the general and minute structure of the spleen in man and other animals' by William Julian Evans |
| Creator | Evans; William Julian (fl 1843) |
| Date | February 1843 |
| Description | Evans details the results of his investigations on the structure of the spleen. According to his analysis, the following are the component parts of this organ: first, a reticulated fibro-elastic tissue; secondly, a pulpy parenchyma, containing the Malpighian glands and the splenic corpuscles; thirdly, distinct cellular bodies; fourthly, the usual apparatus of arteries veins, lymphatics and nerves; fifthly, certain fluids; and lastly, the membranes or tunics by which it is invested. He describes the cells of the spleen as being formed of a lining membrane, continued from that of the splenic vein, and strengthened by filaments of the fibro-elastic tissue. The splenic vein communicates with these cells, at first by round foramina, then by extensive slits resembling lacerations; and it ultimately loses itself entirely in the cells. The cells themselves communicate freely with one another, and also with the veins of the parenchyma; and may therefore be considered as in some measure continuations of the veins, This structure constitutes a multilocular reservoir of great extensibility, and possessing great elastic contractility ; properties, however, which exist in a much less degree in the human spleen than in that of herbivorous animals; in which animals the cellated structure itself is much more conspicuous, and predominates over the parenchymatous portion.
Annotations in pencil throughout. Marked on back as 'Archives 1 June 1843 S H C [Samuel Hunter Christie]'.
Subject: Anatomy / Physiology
Received 2 March 1843. Communicated by P M Roget.
Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 4 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the general and minute structure of the spleen in man and other animals'. |
| Extent | 36p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink and graphite pencil on paper |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedMaterial | DOI: 10.1098/rspl.1837.0230 |
| RelatedRecord | RR/1/60 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA6616 | Roget; Peter Mark (1779 - 1869); physician and philologist | 1779 - 1869 |