34 THE ACTION OF THE LIVING CELL 



cause peripheral anemia. (Turck, 1900.) Clearly, a 

 condition of shock had been induced by the localized 

 action of mustard in the stomach. 



That the action of the irritant per se was limited to 

 the stomach and not due to its absorption was easily 

 demonstrated as follows: After the mustard had re- 

 mained in situ long enough to induce hyperemia of the 

 splanchnic vessels, it was removed by lavage and the 

 administration of slippery elm water, whereupon 

 the splanchnic congestion was speedily reduced. 



If, as these experiments indicate, the action of the 

 mustard is purely local, then the general physiological 

 changes which are induced by its application to the 

 gastric mucosa must be brought about by some sub- 

 stance liberated by the tissue cells under the action 

 of the mustard. Such an hypothesis must necessarily 

 be advanced to explain the production of shock by 

 the mechanical irritation of the stomach, for obviously 

 the mechanical instrument utilized to effect the pri- 

 mary injury can by no stretch of the imagination be 

 endowed with any other than a purely local action. 



We are now in a position to understand why shock 

 may be induced by such diverse means as trauma, me- 

 chanical irritation, burns, and chemical irritants. 

 Each of these means results in cell destruction with 

 the liberation of the endocellular substance, cytost, 

 which is absorbed, and causes a splanchnic congestion, 

 in turn giving rise to the external symptoms collec- 

 tively termed shock. 



If this hypothesis is correct, then any agent capable 

 of effecting the liberation of cytost in sufficient quan- 

 tity will cause splanchnic congestion, stagnation, and 

 shock. For example, toxins formed in the stomach 



