TRANSUDATES. 335 



interesting observation made by PAUKULL/ that in those cases in which 

 an inflammatory irritation nab taken place the fluid contains nucleoal- 

 bumin (or nucleoprotein?), while this substance does not occur in 

 transudates in the absence of inflammatory processes, can be explained 

 by the presence of form-elements. Still, such a phosphorized protein 

 substance does not occur in all inflammatory exudates. 



As the secretoiy importance of the capillary endothelium has been 

 made probable by the investigations of HEIDENHAIN, it is a priori to be 

 expected that an abnormally increased secretory activity of the endothe- 

 lium is a cause of transudates. Those observations which substantiate 

 such an assumption can also be explained just as well by assuming a 

 changed permeability of the capillary walls. 



The varying quantities of protein observed by G. SCHMIDT 2 in the 

 tissue-fluids in different vascular regions can perhaps be explained by the 

 different condition of the capillary endothelium. For example, the 

 amount of protein in the PERICARDIAL, PLEURAL, and PERITONEAL FLUIDS 

 is considerably greater than in those fluids which are found in the SUB- 

 ARACHNOIDAL SPACE, in the SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUES, or in the AQUEOUS 

 HUMOR, which are poor in protein. The condition of the blood also 

 greatly affects the transudates, for in hydrsemia the amount of protein in 

 the transudate is very small. With the increase in the age of a transudate, 

 of a hydrocele fluid for instance, the quantity of protein is increased, 

 probably by resorption of water, and indeed exceptional cases may occur 

 in which the amount of protein, witnout any previous hemorrhage, is 

 even greater than in the blood-serum. 



The proteins of transudates are chiefly seralbumin, serglobulin, and 

 a little fibrinogen. Proteoses and peptones do not occur, excepting 

 perhaps in the cerebrospinal fluid, and in these cases where an autolysis 

 has taken place in the liquid. 3 The non-inflammatory transudates do not 

 as a rule undergo spontaneous coagulation only very slowly, or not at all. 

 On the addition of blood or blood-serum they coagulate. Inflammatory 

 exudates coagulate spontaneously, and PAIJKULL has shown that these 

 often contain nucleoprotein (or nucleoalbumin) . In inflammatory 

 exudates a protein substance has been habitually observed which is pre- 

 cipitated by acetic acid, but which does not occur in transudates, or 

 only in very small quantities. This substance, which has been observed 

 and studied by MORITZ, STAEHELIN, UMBER, and RIVALTA, is claimed 

 by the first three observers to be free from phosphorus, while RIVALTA 



1 See Maly's Jahresber., 22. 



2 Cited from Hoppe-Seyler, Physiol. Chem., 607. 



3 Umber, Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1902, and Berlin, klin. Wochenschr., 1903. 

 In regard to the autolysis in transudates, see also Galdi, Biochem. Centralbl., 3; Ep- 

 pinger, Zeitschr. f. Heilkunde, 35 and Zak, Wien. klin. Wochenschr., 1905. 



