TO ELIMINATE POISON. 



207 



of any epithelial or other cells at all. On the other 

 hand, I think it must be admitted that the facts, viz., 

 the peeling of the cuticle and the removal of renal 

 epithelium, might be explained on the supposition that 

 the " poison " had damaged the cutaneous and renal 

 epithelium, as we know it often damages other tissues, 

 and had afterwards made its own way out of the blood. 

 Not only so, but if we accept this view we have a 

 simple explanation why the injury done does not 

 make itself evident till two or three weeks afterwards. 

 The growth of the young cells, which were at the 

 time of the fever near to the vessels, was affected, but 

 the interruption of regular growth could not become 

 manifest till the time had arrived when these cells 

 should have considerably advanced in growth and 

 reached the free surface of the body. 



So far, therefore, from the desquamation of cuticle 

 after scarlatina being due to an effort of nature on the 

 part of the epithelial cells to eliminate poison, it is 

 more probable that scaling results from the young 

 cuticular cells having been damaged by the poison, as 

 it escaped from the blood coming into contact with, 

 and perhaps invading the structure of, these young 

 cells. 



But can the hypothesis which assumes that such 

 poisons as those of small-pox and scarlatina are " eli- 

 minated" by the skin and kidneys, and that it is the 

 business of the skin and kidneys to eliminate "poisons" 

 of this class from the blood be sustained ? If such a 



