THE NUCLEUS AND FERMENT ACTION 205 



autolysis (the self-digestion of tissues removed from the body 

 under aseptic conditions) we note a diffusion out of nuclear 

 chromatin, and following upon this the formation in the cell 

 body of myelin granules and masses. Everything indicates that 

 these myelin masses so formed are complex lipoid bodies ; they 

 contain fatty acids, more particularly oleates, and studying the 

 composition of what is regarded as the simplest group, the 

 lecithins, we find that they are compounds of a nitrogenous base 

 (cholin), with glycero-phosphoric acid and a fatty acid. Where 

 these make their appearance in the cell undergoing autolysis 

 (and probably in other conditions), we must conclude that the 

 glycero-phosphoric acid is of nuclear origin, and, leaving aside 

 for the moment the question of the seat of origin of the nitro- 

 genous base, remembering that the nucleus of the ordinary cell 

 is devoid of fat, we are led to regard these lecithins as com- 

 binations between matter of nuclear origin and fatty matter 

 from the cell body. These lecithins are bodies having very 

 remarkable properties, both chemical and physical ; they have 

 great powers of holding other substances in solution, and this is 

 true of all the myelin bodies. It may well be that the suggestive 

 series of nuclear changes and cell accumulations which we find 

 in the cloudy and fatty groups of degenerations, represents 

 successive stages in which the development and dissociation of 

 bodies of this type play the essential part. In our studies in 

 Montreal during the last three years on calcareous and fatty 

 degeneration this matter of the formation of compounds of 

 albumen and fat has constantly been brought before us. Dr. 

 Klotz (in this following upon the conclusions of Briicke long 

 years ago) has brought forward data favouring the view that 

 direct union may occur between the two ; but he will be the first 

 to admit that an absolute chemical proof of the existence of such 

 compounds is singularly difficult to adduce. It is true that, 

 working with Professor Aschoff at Marburg, we have recently 

 demonstrated the combination between nitrogenous bases, such 

 as cholin, and oleic acid, but this is another matter — nitrogenous 

 bases while built up into proteins are not proteins. But if we 

 are not as yet wholly certain of the existence of oleates of albumen, 

 it is a well-ascertained chemical fact that lecithin can combine 

 directly with albumen to form albuminates. Thus lipoids of 

 the nature of the lecithins afford us the necessary linkage bodies 



