Receptaculum chyli is the expanded portion of the thoracic duct just at its beginning. Its function is to receive the lacteals which come from the villi of the intestines.
Lymph glands are the enlargements of the lymph vessels. They occur frequently in the lymphatic system, being most numerous in the axillary space, the cervical region (in the neck) and in Scarpa's triangle.
The lymphatic system aids greatly in warding off such diseases as blood poisoning, anthrax, etc.
The lacteals are the lymphatics which carry the chyme from the villi of the intestines and deposit it in the receptaculum chyli.
Glands.
—The glands of the human body are divided into three classes called tubular, alveolar and tubulo-alveolar glands.
Tubular Glands.—In these, the secreting portion consists of a long or short tubule, which may be relatively straight or variously twisted, one end of which ends blindly, while the other end opens on the free surface or into a duct.
Tubular glands may be simple, or having only a single tubule; they may be simple branched, having more than one tubule; or they may be compound branched, thus resembling the branching of a tree.
Some tubular glands would be the liver, kidneys, testes, lachrymal glands, serous glands of the mucous membranes, fundus glands of the stomach, uterine glands, the majority of the pyloric glands and the majority of the sweat glands.
Alveolar Glands.—In these, the secreting compartments have the form of variously shaped vesicles or saccules, known as alveoli which open on the free surface or into a duct.