RELEASE OF CYTOST 59 



the intestine were ligated. In a series of one hundred 

 and fifty-five animals including monkeys, rats, rab- 

 bits and guinea pigs, it was observed that "the higher 

 the ligation the more quickly was the issue fatal." In 

 some experiments, bits of intestine were removed some 

 six hours after the operation for ligation. Micro- 

 scopic examination revealed necrosis of the entire 

 coat, including the muscular coat. This was evidenced 

 by the poor staining ability of the cytoplasm and 

 nuclei of the cells. The animals all showed the shock 

 syndrome a few hours after the tying ofif of the intesti- 

 nal loops; in conformity with the conclusions ex- 

 pressed in the previous chapter, it seemed likely that 

 the observed symptoms and death were due to a toxic 

 proteose fraction resulting from the tissue autolysis. 

 Further experiments proved this to be the case, for it 

 was found (Turck, 1922) that when the submucous 

 juice obtained from such animals was diluted with an 

 equal volume of normal saline and injected either into 

 the same animal or into another of the same species, a 

 fatality always resulted. 



Some of the results of the experiments just men- 

 tioned are summarized in the tables on pages 60 

 and 61. 



Reference to the results shown in the tables shows 

 that in general the higher the ligation of the intestine, 

 the more rapid was the onset of symptoms and subse- 

 quent death. This is readily understood when it is 

 remembered that the autolytic process is an enzymatic 

 one. In general, tissue autolysis, as we have seen, is 

 the result of changes in the internal environment of 

 the cell which in turn so alters conditions that the 

 endocellular protolytic enzymes are able to effect 

 hydrolysis of the cell proteins. Consequently when 



