SHOCK 33 



tion, while the nuclei took the nuclear stain lightly 

 or not at all. 



Stomach tissue which had been exposed to the 

 action of the mustard for longer periods exhibited 

 much the same picture, but with further separative 

 changes and extension of the inflammatory process to 

 the duodenum and bile ducts. The surface epithelium, 

 curiously enough, was not destroyed in proportion to 

 the very marked changes occurring in the deeper tis- 

 sues of the mucosa. Apparently, then, the mustard 

 emulsion produced a localized tissue injury, which 

 in turn was responsible for the more extensive damage 

 observed in the deeper tissues. This observation is 

 of especial importance because it shows clearly that 

 when one tissue is damaged by experimental means, 

 adjacent tissues not directly in contact with the injuri- 

 ous agent may suffer from the primary injury. This 

 argues for the transmission of an injury from one tis- 

 sue to another and presents us with the problem of 

 finding the mechanism of such a transmission. 



Previously, we have called attention to the fact 

 that the introduction into the stomach of a dilute mus- 

 tard emulsion brings about a congestion of the vis- 

 ceral circulation analogous to that caused by me- 

 chanical irritation of the stomach lining. When more 

 concentrated mustard emulsions are utilized for this 

 purpose, the general symptoms of shock are elicited. 

 In such an experiment, within five minutes after the 

 introduction of the irritant, the splanchnic vessels 

 were found to be hyperemic; within ten minutes the 

 splanchnic veins evidenced marked congestion and 

 distention; and after the lapse of twenty minutes, the 

 splanchnic congestion had become so extensive as to 



