80 THE ACTION OF THE LIVING CELL 



causing a stagnation of blood in the smaller and then 

 in larger vessels. In order to follow such changes it 

 is necessary to resort to histological methods. For 

 this purpose, bits of tissue were removed from animals 

 in a state of shock and examined by the usual histo- 

 logical procedures. Before passing to a discussion of 

 the actual observations, we may summarize the essen- 

 tial results of such an examination. In all cases of 

 acute shock, regardless of the experimental means 

 used to produce the reaction, general examination dis- 

 closed that marked stasis originated in the capillary 

 bed of the visceral organs, the stomach, intestines, 

 liver and lungs. "This stasis occurs in the venules 

 and backs down into the larger veins in the portal zone 

 of the liver, pulmonary and arterial zone (venous) 

 of the lung, and submucous zone of the stomach and 

 intestines." These conclusions are based upon a study 

 of many reactions such as those shown in the follow- 

 ing photomicrographs. The principal points of inter- 

 est are noted in the legends accompanying the photo- 

 graphs. 



It is noteworthy, as shown in figure 6, that in 

 shock the brain tissues exhibit no evidences of conges- 

 tion, the cells appearing normal. In all experiments 

 with shock, wherein the brain has been examined, the 

 same result has always been found. This constitutes 

 additional evidence that shock is not the result of a 

 central nervous disfunction. 



A study of the accompanying photomicrographs, 

 which are representative of hundreds prepared by the 

 author, has shown conclusively that the first reaction 

 which occurs in the liver appears to be confined to the 

 finer capillaries, which are in direct contact with 



