410 RETROGRESSIVE CHANGES 



both of the above processes — infiltration of fat and liberation of 

 masked intraeelhilar fat — may occur simultaneously in an organ.^" 

 Fourth, in certain cells, especially in the kidney, adrenal, ovary and 

 some tumors, there maj^ be a great increase in the lipoids of the cell, 

 ^'lipoidal degeneration," and especially of cholesterol esters and free 

 cholesterol, part of which is infiltrated and part set free from com- 

 bination in the cytoplasm. 



PROCESSES RELATED TO FATTY METAMORPHOSIS 



ADIPOCERE 



This apparent transformation of the substance of dead bodies into 

 a wax-like material was for a long time looked upon as evidence of a 

 transformation of protein into fat, but in the light of more recent in- 

 vestigations this view can hardly be held. Adipocere is the product 

 of a process that occurs particularly in bodies buried in very wet 

 places or lying in water, and results in an apparent replacement of 

 the muscles and other soft parts (but not the glandular organs) by a 

 mass consisting of a mixture of fatty acids in crystalline and amor- 

 phous form, and soaps, particularly ammonium, magnesium, and cal- 

 cium salts of palmitic and stearic acid (the oleic acid largely disap- 

 pearing during the process). Analysis of a sample of adipocere (de- 

 rived from a buried hog), by Ruttan and Marshall ^'^'^ showed but 4.4 

 per cent, of calcium soaps, as contrasted with 67.5 per cent, of palmitic, 

 3.3 per cent, stearic, 5.24 oleic, and 15.8 per cent, hydroxy stearic 

 acids; 94.1 per cent, of the adipocere was soluble in ether. Ammonium 

 and other soluble soaps were absent. The hydroxy-stearic acids, which 

 are so characteristic of adipocere, are formed from the oleic acid of 

 the original triolein. But 0.18 per cent, of nitrogen was present. 



The resulting material is absolutely resistant to putrefaction, and 

 hence remains intact for many years. This replacement of the soft 

 parts is, however, only apparent, for the total weight of a body in 

 this condition is much lighter than that of the original body ; indeed, 

 one is always surprised at the light weight on lifting such a specimen. 

 Adipocere occurs almost exclusively in fat bodies, and it seems probable 

 that all the soaps and fatty acids found are formed from the orujinal 

 fats of the corpse.^^^ These gradually flow into the places left by the 

 disintegrating muscle, etc., a process that occurs readily in cadavers, 

 according to Zillner; ^^ or the infiltration may be accomplished through 



38 The above conception of the processes involved in fatty metamorphosis is 

 more fully discussed Ijy the writer in other publications (Jour. Amcr. Med. Assoc, 

 1002 (38), 220; ibid., lOOO (46), 341). Ribbert (Dent. nicd. WoH... 1<)03 (20). 

 703) has also advanced a similar explanation for the morplioloLncal dilTcronces 

 between fatty "de<j:('ncration" and ''infiltration,'' i. e., that the dcixonerative 

 changes are independcjit of fattv accumulation. 



3oaJour. Biol. Chem., 1017 (20), 310. 



30b Fatty cliangcs in the viscera niav favor tlicir iriuisformalioii into adij)ocere 

 (Miiller, Vierteljalirs. jrcM-icht. Med., 1015 (50), 251). 



37 Vierteljalirsch. f. gericht. Med., 1885 (42), 1. 



