I9I2] Edgar G. Miller, Jr. and William J. Gies 481 



Discussion of results. Our results show that when various 

 types of surviving tissues from dogs (kidney, heart, leg muscle and 

 testicle) are immersed in water at room temperature, for periods of 

 24 hoitrs, they become markedly edematous but do not acquire much 

 larger proportions of non-coagulable nitrogenous products than 

 those contained in control non-edematous tissues under similar 

 experimental conditions. The data for kidney in the fourth series, 

 when viewed in the light of all the associated results, suggest that 

 comparatively little non-coagulable nitrogenous material was 

 formed in any of the tissues during the development of edema {i. e., 

 comparatively little hydrolytic cleavage occurred), hefore the tissue 

 began to lose water as a result of dissoliitive (ensymicf) influences. 

 Many more experiments must be performed before it can be as- 

 serted that this is the rule in such cases. 



Our results do not demonstrate that enzymes were involved to 

 any extent in the development of the observed edemas. The tests 

 were directed at negative phases of that question. Our data prove, 

 however, that extensive edema may occur progressively under the 

 conditions of these experiments, for 24 hours or longer, before 

 very marked hydrolytic (autolytic) cleavage of protein takes place. 

 The results obtained by Tracy and Gies, supported by the data in 

 this paper, Warrant the opinion, we think, that, under certain 

 conditions, enzymes may be important positive factors in the devel- 

 opment of edema without inducing commensurate or even appre- 

 ciable dissolution, by hydrolysis or any other process. In our view 

 of the role of enzymes as positive factors in the development of 

 edema, the enzymes may cause fixation of water on a given insolu- 

 ble mass or in a tissue without forcing the affixed water, or any 

 available free water, to disintegrate or disorganize the material by 

 entering into (and disrupting) any of its molecules, i. e., without 

 inducing appreciable hydrolytic cleavage. In natural edema the 

 Proportion of active (effective) hydrolase in any tissue may be 

 determined or regidated by a number of associated influences but, 

 while stim.ulative of hydrophilic tendencies, may not be sufficient 

 to bring about special hydrolytic cleavage at any time, thus permit- 

 ting, or accounting for, the attainment of maximum edematous 



