MUSCLE DEGENERATION IN AMPHIBIA 75 



with numerous eosinophile granules and while blood cells, thus 

 suggesting the origin of the granules from the degenerating muscle 

 fiber. Disintegrated erythrocytes can also be seen in connection 

 with degenerating muscle tissue. However, from the material 

 studied the majority of eosinophile granules found in degenerating 

 muscle are products of muscle degeneration while the smaller por- 

 tion is contributed by degenerating red cells. Eosinophile leuco- 

 cytes can often be seen in connective tissue in the neighborhood of 

 degenerating muscle. These through their amoeboid movements 

 have perhaps wandered away from their source of origin. 



In the degeneration of the gills numerous blood vessels are 

 necessarily broken down, producing in some cases stasis in the 

 small vessels resulting in the disintegration of the erythrocytes 

 in those parts. Degenerating red cells can be demonstrated espe- 

 cially where the degeneration of the gills is well advanced. They 

 can also be found isolated or in smaller and larger groups outside 

 of the walls of blood vessels. The degeneration of some is evident, 

 as can be seen from the appearance of their nuclei which stain 

 intensely, lose their oval shape and become irregular in outline 

 and a few were seen apparently about to be extruded from the cell 

 body. The cell envelope also becomes very irregular in outline 

 and in some cases even ruptured. In some the cytoplasmic mate- 

 rial is coarsely granular, losing its seemingly homogeneous nature. 

 In others globular masses of varying sizes are apparently about to 

 be detached from the cell. Many of these large masses or coarse 

 granules together with smaller granules can often be seen lying 

 free in close approximation to degenerating erythrocytes. These 

 larger masses and granules stain with eosin, the smaller granules 

 staining more deeply than the coarse granules. A difference readily 

 observed between the eosinophile granules formed from the degen- 

 erating erythrocytes and degenerating muscle tissue is that the 

 granules formed from the former vary much in size as stated above 

 while those formed from the latter, while varying somewhat in 

 size, approximate more nearly the dimensions of those found in 

 the eosinophile cells. That these eosinophile granules are taken 

 up by cells of the character of leucocytes is indicated b}^ the pres- 

 ence of such cells, sometimes in large numbers, in the immediate 



