THE RECOVERY FROM DEPRESSION 477 



Nucleolar substance 



Absolute decrease from normal. Rela- Absolute decrease in less degree; pro- 

 tive decrease to senile depression. portion to senile activity greater. 



No pigment ever occurs. (Purkinje Pigment deposit the final result, 

 cell.) 



THE HISTOGENESIS OF ABNORMAL PIGMENTATION 



In connection with pigment formation, a peculiar phenomenon 

 of modification or alteration of the chromatin is first to be noted. 

 There was described in the discussion of acute depression (Dolley, 

 '13 b, p. 90) the analogue of this change. Appearing best in 

 hyperchromatic cells — from the excess of chromatin which would 

 show it, usually confined to the nucleus, though perhaps ex- 

 tending in places to the plasma — the deep blue color became a 

 light grayish or steel blue. It was found with toluidin blue only 

 but invariably in depression. The correctness of the interpre- 

 tation as a phase of acute depression is confirmed by the following 

 observations after prolonged recovery. 



The nucleus, or somewhat more commonly here, the nucleus 

 and the plasma about the nucleus lose their structural markings 

 in a yellow or yellowish brown diffused or washed look with 

 toluidin blue after mercury or alcohol. If the plasma is in- 

 volved, the nuclear membrane is indistinct or lost and the nu- 

 clear site generally visible only as a lighter place. The presence 

 of actual chromatic granules may mottle the appearance of the 

 plasma with darker specks or streaks. Some granules may even 

 stain blue in the mildest plasmatic form, while in the extreme the 

 whole cells become homogeneous, yellow, and somewhat glisten- 

 ing, with no trace of nucleus. As in the acute analogue, the 

 cojidition in its extreme predominates i-n relatively hyper- 

 chromatic cells in terms of their functional stage (stages 3 to 5). 

 It is, however, apparent in all functional stages, it may be only 

 as a browning of the now achromatic amphinucleolus. Iron 

 hematoxylin reproduces the alteration as a diffused rusty brown 

 of the same distribution. As to its extent, the severer and more 

 prolonged Experiments Anesthetic 16 and Morphine 4 showed 



