ON THE NATURE OF THE GRANULE CELLS OF PANETH IN 
THE INTESTINAL GLANDS OF MAMMALS. 
BY 
SIDNEY KLBIN, S. M., M. D. 
From the Hull Laboratory of Anatomy, University of Chicago. 
WITH 5 FIGURES. 
The recent activity in the investigation of the chemical and physio- 
logical properties of the succus entericus, and the discoveries of new 
enzymes which are produced by the intestinal mucous membrane, create 
a renewed interest in the structure and relationship of the elements com- 
posing the intestinal epithelium and glands, which are the sources of this 
secretion. It becomes a fundamental problem of intestinal histology to 
determine as far as possible the cytological and microchemical characters 
of these elements and to compare them in these respects with similar 
elements of known function from other sources. Of special interest in 
this connection are the peculiar, coarsely granular cells which occupy the 
deeper ends of the glands of Lieberkiihn, and which were first observed 
in 1872 by Schwalbe, 72, in fresh material from the intestine of the rat. 
For some reason Schwalbe’s description attracted little attention, and 
it was not until 1888 when Paneth, 88, rediscovered them and described 
at some length their microscopic and chemical characters, that these 
cells became generally recognized as constant constituents of the intes- 
tinal glands of certain mammals. For this reason they are generally 
known as the granule cells of Paneth. 
Paneth regarded these granular cells as a specific kind of gland cell 
wholly different from the globlet cell. Concerning their origin he was 
somewhat in doubt, although he favored the view that they were derived 
from indifferent mitotic cells farther up the gland, because of the fact 
that the granules became fewer towards the middle of the gland where 
the mitoses occurred. 
Paneth described the granules, as observed in fresh preparations of the 
mucous membrane, as moderately refractive structures, although not so 
refractive as fat. Distilled water and solutions of caustic potash had no 
effect on them, although they shrank somewhat in the latter and became 
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ANATOMY.—VOL. V. 
