270 INFLAMMATION 



contain minute quantities of substances taken up from the pus serum 

 by absorption and phagocytosis.^^ The old analyses of pus-corpuscles 

 by Hoppe-Seyler^2 ^re given in the following table: 



Table I. 



Quantitative Composition of Pus-cells {in 1000 parts of the dried substance). 



I II 



Proteins 137.621 



Nuclein 342.57 [ 685.85 673.69 



Insoluble bodies 205. 66 J 



Lecithin \ i /i o oo 75 . 64 



Fat |14d.Sd 75 QQ 



Cholesterol. 74.00 72.83 



Cerebrin 51 . 99 \ i no ca 



Extractive bodies 44.33/ iu^.»4 



Mineral Substances in 1000 Parts of the Dried Substance 



NaCl 4.35 



Ca3(P04)o 2.05 



Mg3(P04)2 1.13 



FePOi 1.06 



PO4 9.16 



Na 0.68 



K trace 



As abnormal constituents of the leucocytes contained in abscesses 

 may be mentioned glycogen, fat (from phagocytosis and from "fatty 

 degeneration" of the leucocytes), and "peptone" (Hofmeister).^^ 



Pus serum differs from blood-serum chiefly in the substances added 

 to it through the proteolytic changes that occur in the pus, and also 

 in that it has lost its antiproteolytic property, containing instead free 

 leucoprotease. The fibrinogen that escapes from the vessels into sup- 

 purating areas becomes so altered that pus will not coagulate, even 

 upon addition of fibrin ferment (defibrinated blood). The reaction 

 of the serum is usually slightly alkaline, becoming strongly alkaline 

 if much ammonia is produced, which occurs especially if there is sec- 

 ondary infection with the organisms of putrefacton. Sometimes, 

 however, lipase derived either from bacteria or from the cells causes 

 the splitting of sufficient amounts of fatty acids from the fats to make 

 the reaction acid; lactic and other fatty acids are also sometimes 

 formed. Presumably the nature of the infecting organism will 

 modify the reaction, for some (e. g., staphylococcus) cause an acid 

 formation in media, while others (e. g., pyocyaneus) cause an alkaline 

 reaction. Pneumococcus pus is said to become markedly acid.^^ 

 Hoppe-Seyler's analysis of pus serum gave the following results, which 



^1 The electrical conductivity of whole pus is somewhat greater than that of blood, 

 and pus plasma conducts much more than whole pus, because of the resistance of 

 the leucocytes (Tangl and Bodon, Biochem. Zeit., 1917 (84), 183). 



*^ Med.-Chem. Untersuchungen. 



" Zeit. physiol. Chem., 1880 (4), 268. 



" Netter, Bougault and Salanier, Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol., 1917 (80), 97. 



