July 3,1916 Effect of Autolysis upon Muscle Creatin 537 



creatinin, stating that in the operation creatin was probably changed in 

 part to creatinin. However, using Mellanby's method for the deter- 

 mination of free creatinin, he found that liver and kidney extracts 

 converted appreciable quantities of creatin into creatinin. 



Pekelharing and Van Hoogenhuyze (6) found fairly marked increases 

 in the creatin content of muscles on the completion of rigor mortis and 

 heat rigor. 



Rowe (8) carried on autolytic experiments with the parathyroids and 

 adrenals of sheep and found that, in a marked degree, these tissues had 

 the property of destroying added creatin. Thyroid extract destroyed 71 

 per cent of the added creatin in 48 hours and adrenal extract destroyed 

 69 per cent in 72 hours. 



Myers and Fine (5) studied the effect of autolysis upon the creatin and 

 creatinin content of various tissues and fluids of vertebrate animals. 

 Very marked increases were noted in the creatinin content of all the 

 materials examined after autolysis. Human blood and rabbit liver 

 showed marked gains in the total creatinin. In the case of dog muscle 

 an appreciable decrease in total creatinin was noted. The authors are 

 of the opinion that muscular tissue is the site of creatinin formation. 



THE PRESENT EXPERIMENTS 



Two series of autolytic experiments were carried on: One under 

 aseptic conditions ; the other with the use of antiseptics. It is generally 

 recognized that the aseptic method is to be preferred, so far as the value 

 of the results is concerned; but owing to the extreme care required in 

 carrying on an autolytic experiment under aseptic conditions, the anti- 

 septic method is commonly employed. In these investigations the 

 antiseptic method was used simply as a check against the aseptic 

 method, and for the purpose of comparison. 



ASEPTIC AUTOLYSIS EXPERIMENTS 



A prime steer was slaughtered at a local abattoir by the usual methods 

 under the personal supervision of one of the authors. It was, of course, 

 impossible to carry out the operation of skinning under strictly aseptic 

 conditions, so the chief aim was to make this operation as cleanly as 

 possible. The entire carcass was first wet down to prevent the dissemi- 

 nation of dust particles. The carcass was kept suspended while it was 

 being skinned and was not allowed to come into contact with the floor, 

 which had also been washed to prevent dust from rising. In skinning 

 the carcass, knives were used which had been dipped in boiling water, and 

 they were again dipped from time to time in the boiling water. As soon 

 as the skin was removed one of the hindquarters was wound with gauze 

 which had been wrung out in a solution of mercuric chlorid (1 : 1,000); 

 then it was separated from the body and completely enveloped in the 



