CHEMISTRY OF THE LIVER. 3 I I 



organs. The name antolysis has been given to these self- 

 digestion reactions in general. They are not confined to the 

 liver, but are observed in all organs. An enormous literature 

 has accumulated already on this topic, because it has great 

 practical as well as scientific importance. In these spontane- 

 ous digestions various products are formed, some of which 

 are volatile ; a general softening of the tissues concerned may 

 also take place and the sum of these changes is important in 

 bringing about the difference between fresh meat, and stored, 

 " ripe " or " hung " meat, for example. While bacteria 

 play an important part in curing meat it is well known that 

 changes go on within the tissues which cannot be due to bac- 

 terial action. These are the autolytic changes which were 

 first clearly followed in the liver, and which will be here briefly 

 discussed. 



The Production of Organic Acids. This is one of the 

 simplest phenomena observed. If the livers of dogs or other 

 animals are carefully removed and kept under chloroform or 

 toluene a gradual gain in acidity is observed. The liver must 

 be minced before being covered with the protecting liquid. 

 The autolysis in this case is slow, weeks or months being re- 

 quired to show any large amount of acid. The best tempera- 

 ture for the experiment is 38-40 C. Instead of employing 

 antiseptics it is possible with care to remove and store the 

 liver in sterile jars aseptically. Under these conditions the 

 spontaneous change is very rapid, more acid being formed in 

 one day, ordinarily, than after a month of the antiseptic treat- 

 ment. By making several pieces of the liver on removal from 

 the animal, putting each in a separate jar and testing one from 

 time to time, it is possible to follow the course of the autolysis. 

 Among the acids produced formic, acetic, fermentation lactic 

 and paralactic, butyric and succinic have been recognized. In 

 experiments described by Magnus-Levy the total acid formed 

 in one day in 100 grams of liver, by the aseptic treatment, may 

 correspond to over 20 cc. of normal alkali. If this were cal- 

 culated as lactic acid it would amount to 1.8 gm. The rela- 



