86 THE ACTION OF THE LIVING CELL 



five minutes. In such instances an immediate autopsy 

 showed the tissue changes to be focal in type, with 

 disseminated hemorrhagic areas, while the entire 

 lung was hyperemic, occasionally being soaked with 

 blood. 



In those experimental animals which survived for 

 several hours or longer, there was found classical 

 pneumonitis of the bronchial type, with numerous 

 focal lesions, becoming hard and resistant. 



The rapidity with which small quantities of cy- 

 tost insufflated in the lung cause death is most prob- 

 ably due to the fact that the thin respiratory epi- 

 thelium allows the toxin to come into immediate 

 contact with the endodermal cells without the neces- 

 sity of passing through the capillaries. This results 

 in a prompt stasis of blood in the vessels, and conse- 

 quent death, due to stopping of the heart. That auto- 

 lyzed lung tissue may actually effect such a stasis 

 was shown by the fact that the intravenous injection 

 of such material caused an instantaneous engorge- 

 ment of all the lung capillaries. 



This is in agreement with the observations previ- 

 ously reported, that autolyzed tissue products formed 

 either in vitro or in vivo, when introduced into the 

 circulation, cause capillary stasis in the lungs and 

 other viscera. It is of considerable interest that, as 

 revealed at necropsy, the insufflated autolysate caused 

 no such reaction in the trachea or bronchioles, the 

 reaction always appearing to take place in the distal 

 portion of the bronchial alveolar system connected 

 with the surrounding dense capillary plexus. Only 

 when death is delayed does the reaction extend up to 



