Lymph vessels of the neck. Historical anatomical artwork of the lymph and blood vessels of the human neck and upper chest. In this view, the front of the rib cage, the heart and the left lung (right) have been removed, and the shoulders and neck have been dissected. The veins (blue) and arteries (red) have lymphatic ducts and nodes (white) entwined around them. The major vessels shown here are the jugular veins and carotid arteries (in the neck) and the subclavian blood vessels of the shoulders. The lymphatic system circulates and drains lymph fluid, the fluid found in body tissues and in the blood. It contains white blood cells, and so plays an important role in the immune system. Artwork from Atlas of Anatomy, by Bourgery and Jacob, published in France in 8 volumes from 1831 to 1854.