CERTAIN DEVITALISED TISSUES. 255 



struction of the renal artery and vein was followed 

 by the envelopment of the kidney in a cyst, the 

 liquefaction of its external portion, and a diminution 

 in its size as a whole ; and that the central portion of 

 the organ was comparatively firm and unchanged at 

 the end of three months. In this case the peritoneum 

 had not been opened, and there was no inflammation 

 of it or of the intestines. In another experiment 

 the renal vein alone was tied, and the animal allowed 

 to live for three months, the peritoneum not being 

 divided. At the end of that time the animal was 

 quite healthy, there was no inflammation or suppu- 

 ration in any part of the abdomen, and the ligature 

 was merely surrounded by a little lymph. The 

 kidney was healthy, its circulation being maintained 

 unimpaired by a large lumbar vein which communi- 

 cated with the vein of the kidney on the renal side 

 of the ligature : whereas in another experiment in 

 which the renal artery and vein were also obstructed 

 by ligature, but in which the cavity of the perito- 

 neum was accidentally opened, and the membrane 

 exposed and inflamed, the whole substance of the 

 kidney was found reduced to a pulpy state at the 

 end of twenty-four hours after the application of the 

 ligature. In this case, there was also no appearance 

 of a cyst, the liquefied kidney being in contact with 

 the inflamed peritoneum, from which a considerable 

 quantity of serous fluid had been effused. 



From various circumstances, I am, therefore, dis- 

 posed to attach considerable importance to this point, 

 believing that the condition of the surrounding 



O 



structures often determines whether an organ whose 



