The lymphatic system consists of lymph capillaries, lymph veins, the fluid lymph, and lymph nodes. Like blood capillaries, the lymph capillaries are composed of a single layer of endothelium and are distributed throughout all body tissues. The lymph capillaries function to re absorb the small amount of water that moves from blood to tissue in the capillary beds but that fails to be re absorbed by the blood capillaries. Unlike blood capillaries, the walls of lymph capillaries are highly permeable to blood proteins and collect any that may have leaked out of the blood capillaries despite their impermeability to blood proteins. The reabsorption of blood proteins by the lymph capillaries is essential in maintaining the proper osmotic balance between the tissue
