92 ENZYMES 



action of the serum also has a similar effect, limiting autolysis at the 

 periphery. 



In the case of septic softeniny; the action of the bacteria needs also 

 to be taken into consideration, since they also produce proteolytic 

 ferments, but their effect seems to be relatively small as compared with 

 leucocytic digestion. Intracellular digestion of necrotic tissue by 

 leucocytes seems also to be relativelj^ unimportant. Suppuration, 

 therefore, must be considered as the result of digestion of dead tissue 

 by enzymes derived from the leucocytes, the plasma, the bacteria, and 

 the destroyed cells themselves. A tubercle does not ordinarily sup- 

 purate, because the tul)er('le bacillus and the substances it produces 

 are not strongly chemotactic, and hence not enough leucocytes enter 

 the necrotic area to produce a digestive softening. The enzymes of 

 stai)liylo('Occus are much more strongly proteolytic than those of 

 streptococcus (Knapp^'), which may be one reason why the latter so 

 much more frequently produces lesions without suppuration than 

 does the former. Necrotic areas of any kind are absorbed by similar 

 processes. Autolysis of tumors is quite active in specimens removed 

 from the body, and the areas of necrosis that occur commonly in 

 tumors are absorbed in this way. Apparently all varieties of cells 

 are subject to autolj'sis or heterolj^sis whenever they are killed or 

 sufficiently injured. Involution of the uterus probably depends upon 

 autolj'sis, which is much more active in the puerperal uteinis 

 (Ferroni^^), and creatine is found in the urine when such autolysis 

 occurs,^^ although A. INIorse -'^ considers this to be independent of 

 the uterine autolysis. Atrophy may be looked upon as an autolysis 

 in the normal course of catabolism, not met by a corresponding build- 

 ing up of the proteins, l)ut ]\I. ^Morse ^''''^ could tind no evidence that 

 the atrophy and involution of the tadpole tail is accompanied by an 

 accelerated autolysis. The solution of fibrin by tissues, fihrinolysis, 

 is considered to be distinct from tissue autolysis by Fleisher and 

 Loeb.'"''"' In atrophic cirrhosis the fibrinolytic activity of the blood is 

 increased, wliidi may explain the lieniorrliagic tendency of this dis- 

 ease.^®° 



The products of autolysis may of themselves be toxic; albumoses 

 and pe])tones certainly are, and the other cleavage products are prob- 

 abh^ not altogether innocuous. (See " Autoinloxication.") Some of 

 the symptoms of suppuration, ])articularly llic fever and chills, have 

 been ascribed to the autolytic products i-atlni- tlian to the bacterial 



"Zcit. f. ITeilk. (riiir.). 1902 (2.3). 2.30. 



f'SAnn. (li Ostctrica e. Ginocol., IflOfi (2), .'i5.3: set' also Slciuons, Bull. Johns 

 Hopkins Ifosp., 1014 (2.'5), 195; Arthur Morso, Jour. Amer. Med., Assoc, 1915 

 (0-)), 1(11.3. 



so SliiifTor. Amor. .lour. I'hvsiol., 190S (23). 1. 



snnMiix Morso, Am. .lour. I'hvsiol., lOl.'i (3G), 14r). 



si'b.Tour. IJiol. Chom., IfM.'} (21). 477. 



'•!'■• Coodpnslurc, I'.uli. .lolins Hopkins ITosp., 1914 (25), 330. 



