Hemolymphatic Nodes

HEMOLYMPHATIC NODES (glands), red lymphatic glands. Under this name, described by Schumacher, Weidenreich, and others, primarily in ruminants (sheep), are a special type of lymph node (gland) that lacks afferent and efferent lymph vessels and contains red blood cells in its sinuses. In structure, they occupy an intermediate position between true lymph nodes and the spleen. In them, there is no new formation of erythrocytes, but rather, similar to the spleen, only the destruction of red blood cells that have completed their life cycle, as evidenced by the pictures of phagocytosis of these elements by cells of the reticular apparatus and the presence of large deposits of blood pigment. In the follicles of hemolymphatic nodes, the formation of lymphocytes may occur, which are carried away by the current of venous blood. The usual location of hemolymphatic nodes is the posterior wall of the abdomen along the aorta. Between such typical hemolymphatic nodes and true lymph nodes, there is a whole series of transitional forms; in recent times, hemolymphatic nodes have been considered either degenerative or rudimentary lymph nodes (Schumacher). Additionally, in the early stages of development, red blood cells may form in lymph nodes (as in other places), which then ceases with age. Such nodes should not be confused with hemolymphatic nodes.