528 THE TOCOPHEROLS 



after periods of dystrophy. Changes of fundamentally the same type occur jn 

 the mouse,-"' -^ the hamster"" and cotton rat,-' the dog,-"' and the monkey/^ 

 Certain differences observed in the histopathologic picture in various labo- 

 ratory animals may be attributable to species differences in the extent and 

 rate of the degenerative and regenerative processes in dystrophic muscle. 

 (4) Tnfcrrclntion^hi'ps with the Nervouf^ Si/></<'t}i. Except for conflicting opin- 



.>. 





As . > ; '^^ 



^ 9 4%. '. -' V 











■»tJ, 



;1 



^ V «.« 'iv^ 'x*r*' ;'^« • f V Iff/ , • 



Fig. 4. Sk(>lct;il muscle of hamster after cliiuiiic \ itnniin L il('liriciic\ (200 days), 

 showing areas of necrosis of muscle fibers (N) and otlier fibers in various stages of 

 regeneration. The latter vary from elongated, basophilic, multinucleate strands (R) 

 to fibers which are normal, except for an irregular distribution of nuclei in chain-like 

 rows located more or less centrally in the fiber (X). In some areas, degenerated fibers 

 have been replaced by fatty tissue (F). X 125. (From Mason."*) 



ions concerning the rat, the dystrophic muscle lesions of vitamin E-de- 

 ficient animals are considered to be purely myogenic. The early onset of 

 the lesions, their biochemical nature and response to E-therapy,"** frequent 

 occurrence of similar alterations in cardiac muscle are in accord with this 

 assumption. It should be mentioned, however, that in most instances 

 the nervous system has not been carefully studied. On the other hand, 

 much attention has been given to the nervous system of the rat. In their 

 pioneer studies on the paralysis of adult rats reared for many months 

 on low-E diets, Einarson and Ringsted"' described lesions in the dorsal 



" K. E. Mason and I. R. Telford, Arch. Pathol. 43, 363 (1947). 



'6 O. B. ITouchiii and H. \. Mattill, ,/. Biol. (lion. 146, 301, 309, 313 (1942). 



