CASE XL. A man was attacked with diffuse cellular inflammation of the inferior extremity, which terminated in two days with extensive gangrene of the skin. In the superficial and common femoral veins were extensive coagula; these did not completely fill the veins, but slightly adhered at different points to their internal coats. These clots still retained, in some places, the colouring matter of the blood, whilst at others the colourless fibrine alone remained; in both veins, the clots were enveloped in a perfectly transparent, smooth, and polished membrane, presenting the appearance of a serous tissue. In the structure of these membranes were several distinct arborescent vessels, minutely injected;[48] some of these vessels were of sufficient size to allow of the blood being made, by gentle pressure, to circulate through them; but no communication could be traced between these vessels and the coats of the veins. The membranes were easily peeled off from the surface of the clots with which they were in contact. The interior coats of the veins presented their natural colour and polished surfaces, except at the points where the slight adhesions above-mentioned existed. [48] Mr. Gray, the Curator of the Museum of St. George's Hospital, has recently shewed me the outer layer of an effusion of blood into the arachnoid cavity, injected from the middle meningeal artery. FINIS. RICHARDS, PRINTER, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. * * * * * Transcriber's Notes Page 81, Case XXVII. Aug 5th follows September 30th. This has been changed to Oct 5th. Italics are represented thus _italic_. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of On the origin of inflammation of the veins, by Henry Lee