1944 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



In one the lesion was strictly limited to these structures, but in the other the 

 degeneration had extended more widely. Opie concluded that in pancreatic 

 diabetes the lesion destroys or injures the islands of Langerhans and that 

 where, though the organ is diseased, diabetes is absent the interacinar islands 

 are relatively unaffected. 



The pancreas was examined by Wright and Joslin in nine cases of this dis- 

 ease. Hyaline changes in the islands of Langerhans, like those described by 

 Opie, were found in two of these nine cases. In one of them the degeneration 

 was practically confined to these islands. In the other the gland also showed 

 fat necrosis. Wright and Joslin think that lesions of these structures are im- 

 portant factors in the pathology of this disease. w. r. s. 



Herzog. Zur Histo-Pathologie des Pancreas The findings of Ssobolew and Opie 

 beim Diabetes Mellitus. Virchow's Archiv. , • j j ^i_ ^i i 



168:83-90, 1Q02. ^^^ here reviewed, and then the work 



of Weichselbaum and Stangel is con- 

 sidered. These two investigators found an atrophy of the pancreas, especially 

 confined to the islands of Langerhans, in eighteen cases of diabetes mellitus, and 

 could detect no changes in these islands in cases of other pancreatic affections. 

 Herzog's five cases were then published, to be followed by those of Wright and 

 Joslin, above referred to. 



In the present article Herzog gives more details concerning his cases. In 

 three of them the pancreas examined was a museum specimen and nothing fur- 

 ther was known except that the cases were those of diabetes. In all of them 

 changes were seen in the islands of Langerhans. A decrease in the number of 

 these islands was always noted, ranging from a slight diminution in Case I to 

 their total absence in Case V. In one case only did the islands show distinct 

 hyaline degeneration. No other changes were observed. Following Weichsel- 

 baum and Stangel, Herzog thinks the process is essentially a specific atrophy of 

 these islands, of unknown cause. These findings, above given, form added sup- 

 port to the theory that the islands of Langerhans furnish by their internal secre- 

 tion a sugar-splitting enzyme. w. r. s. 



Kakels, M. S. A Contribution to the Study of Kakels reports a case of primary sar- 

 Primary Sarcoma of the Tail of the Pan- , , -i r 1 rrn. 



creas. Am. J. Med. Sc. 123: 471-480, coma of the tail of the pancreas. The 



i9°2. tumor was not diagnosed correctly, but 



was thought to be a sarcoma of the kidney. An exploratory laparotomy revealed 

 its true origin. The patient died shortly afterwards, and at autopsy a large, 

 partly hard and partly soft tumor was found in the region of the tail of the pan- 

 creas. It was a nodular mass and measured 18x9 cm. Microscopically a fine, 

 fibrous, reticulated network was seen, in the meshes of which were a large num- 

 ber of small, round, mononuclear cells whose nuclei took the stain well. There 

 were also a number of larger cells, both polynuclear and mononuclear. Their 

 nuclei also stained deeply. The tumor was quite vascular, and in places had 

 undergone coagulation necrosis. The diagnosis of mixed cell sarcoma was made. 

 Kakels has collected in the literature twenty-one cases of sarcoma of the pan- 

 creas. In but three of these was the growth primary in the tail of the gland. 

 His case consequently is the fourth reported. w. r. s. 



