But,  in  more  favourable  circumstances,  the  blood  may  be  absorbed;
and  this  may  happen  whether  it  have  formed  separate  clots,  or,  more
readily,  when  it  is  infiltrated  in  the  tissues.  What  I  have  seen,  how-
ever, in  the  experiments  to  which  I  have  already  referred,  leads  me  to
dissent  from  the  account  commonly  given  of  the  absorption  of  blood
thus  effused.  The  expressions  generally  used  imply  that  the  first
thing  towards  the  repair  of  such  a  wound  is  the  absorption  of  the  ex-
travasated  blood ;  and  that  then,  in  its  place,  the  reparative  material
is  produced.  But  this  can  hardly  be  the  case ;  for  the  absorption  of
blood  is  a  very  slow  process,  and  commonly  requires  as  much  time  as
would  suffice  for  the  complete  healing  of  a  wound,  or  even  of  a  fracture.
