This double circumstance, 1st, the precocious and proportionably great development of the lymphatic glands in childhood; 2d, their very great disposition to diseases, indicates certainly remarkable activity in their functions; for it supposes a great development of the vital forces; now these vital forces being more developed ought necessarily to preside over more energetic functions. See in fact the organs whose functions we know, which are on the one hand much developed in childhood, and on the other much disposed to diseases; the functions of these organs are more active. Thus the brain and nerves being more developed, have more sensibility; thus the vessels with red blood have an activity of nutrition, in proportion to their size, &c. In youth, it is when the genital organs are more developed and they become more exposed to diseases, that their functions are greater. Examine all the organs and their functions, you will see that a general law of the economy is, that these three things, 1st, great development; 2d, greater disposition to diseases; 3d, greater activity of functions, are constantly united. Now when these two first exist in the glands of the absorbents, we ought to conclude that the third is there also, though we are not certain of it, since, from what I have said, we are ignorant of the uses of these small organs. Grimaud has considered them, it is true, as essential to nutrition; he even calls the nutritive system the combination of these glands and the cellular texture, a gratuitous supposition, which is not proved. All that we know upon this point, is that on the one hand nutrition, and the development of these glands on the other, are very great in the fœtus. But does it follow from this, that the first phenomenon proceeds from the second? Undoubtedly not; no more than because the brain, the liver, &c. are early developed in the fœtus, and nutrition is very active, they should be considered as the agents of this function. Besides, nutrition is a function that has no particular organ for its centre and agent. Each organ is itself the machine which separates from the blood or the fluids that enter it, the nutritive materials that are suitable for it, and afterwards appropriate them to itself. The muscle separates its fibrin, the bone its phosphate of lime, &c. But one common and central organ does not elaborate these nutritive materials, as one common viscus moves the blood, as one central organ presides over sensibility, &c.