Unpublished paper, 'Researches on the distribution of the blood vessels in the lungs' by James Newton Heale

Description

Heale shares his observations on the distribution and functions of the blood vessels of the lungs. He finds that, firstly, the pulmonary artery makes no anastomosis with any other artery, nor do its own branches anastomose together; its branches go direct to the air cells, and are there distributed, and terminate as arteries; none of its branches go to any other tissues of the lungs besides the air cells, except some few which perforate the sub-pleural cellular tissue, and are distributed to the pleura. Some of these also cross the posterior mediastinum beneath the pleura, and reach the thoracic pleura. Secondly, he finds that the bronchial arteries have their own special distribution. They do not supply any portion of the bronchial mucous membrane, and they form no sort of communication, either with the pulmonary arteries or veins, except as supplying their cellular sheaths, and therefore in all probability furnishing their vasa vasorum. Thirdly, Heale finds that the bronchial mucous membrane is very freely supplied with an exceedingly vascular plexus, which is found to ramify in every part of the bronchial membrane, and which may be traced even as high as the trachea. The whole of this plexus is derived from the air cells, and terminates ultimately by means of minute ''radicles' which form trunks and join the pulmonary veins. No trace of any branches of the pulmonary artery, previous to this becoming capillary in the air cells, is found in any part of the bronchial membrane. Fourthly, he finds that the blood being brought to the air cells by means of the pulmonary artery is wholly returned by the pulmonary veins. Heale goes on to describes his apparatus for injection. He concludes that there is one set of vessels for the nutrition of the lung in its ordinary acceptation, and another for the respiratory function.

Includes 11 plates of coloured anatomical drawings tied with original red tape.

Subject: Physiology / Anatomy

Received 20 May 1853. Communicated by Joseph Hodgson.

Written by Heale at 11 Westbourne Crescent [London].

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 6 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'Researches on the distribution of the blood-vessels, &c. in the lungs'.

Reference number

AP/34/8

Earliest possible date

02 April 1853

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

45 pages

Format

Drawing
Manuscript