ON SPECIFIC THERAPEUTICS. 75 



scopically a white colour, and by microscopical 

 examination with osmic acid shows an enormous 

 number of fat granules. Yet, by extracting a 

 normal and such a diseased kidney with ether 

 and by examining the ether residue, Dunham 

 showed that the quantities of extract thus 

 obtained, which is but a mixture of fats and 

 lecithin, is exactly the same in both cases. In 

 this case, therefore, the occurrence of fatty 

 degeneration consists only in the fact that the 

 organic union between the proteids and the 

 lipoids has ceased, and that the component 

 parts have been liberated, and thus rendered 

 easily recognisable. 



These facts are completely analogous to the 

 observations which I have previously communi- 

 cated when discussing Ryes' researches on 

 snake venom. I even think it probable that 

 the sugars may, in a similar manner, be chemi- 

 cally firmly connected with the cells, and in 

 like way the complex carbohydrates, e.g., gly- 

 cogen, may well be present in the body in a 

 hidden form. That is at least made probable 

 by an observation of mine on finding glycocen 

 in the polynuclear cells, viz., that the normal 

 polynuclear leucocytes never show the charac- 

 teristic reaction with iodine, whilst it is fre- 



