372 CHYLE, LYMPH, TRANSUDATES AND EXUDATES. 



On the analysis of the human spleen MAGNUS-LEVY found 784.7 

 parts water, 215.3 parts solids, 27.7 parts fat and 27.9 parts nitrogen in 

 1000 parts of the fresh organ. In the dog spleen, CORPER 1 found 750 

 to 770 p. m. water, and 120-150 p. m. ether soluble substances, of which 

 one-fourth consisted of cholesterin and three-fourths of lecithin. As 

 purine bases he found 1.1 p. m. guanine, 0.6 p. m. adenine, 0.15 p. m. 

 hypoxanthine and 0.04 p. m. xanthine. 



In regard to the pathological processes going on in the spleen we must 

 specially recall the abundant re-formation of leucocytes in leucaemia and 

 the appearance of amyloid substance (see page 172). 



The physiological functions of the spleen are little known, with the 

 exception of its importance in the formation of leucocytes. Some 

 consider the spleen as an organ for the dissolution of the red blood- 

 corpuscles, and the occurrence of the above-mentioned deposit rich in 

 iron seems to confirm this view, but this iron could in part have another 

 origin. ASHER and his collaborators GROSSENBACHER, ZIMMERMANN and 

 H. VOGEL have found that the spleen is an organ for the iron metabolism, 

 as they found in a splenectomized dog that the iron elimination was much 

 greater than in a dog with its spleen. R. BAYER 2 has made a similar 

 observation on a splenectomized human being, and the spleen it seems 

 has the purpose of retaining for the organism the iron set free in the 

 metabolism and also in starvation metabolism. 



The spleen has also been claimed to play a certain part in digestion 

 especially in pancreatic digestion. This organ is said by SCHIFF, HERZEN, 

 and others to be of importance in the production of trypsin in the pan- 

 creas. The investigations of HERZEN seem to confirm this relation, but 

 the recent work of PRYM 3 has made the assumption doubtful. 



Splenectomized dogs require according to RICHET 4 for their mainte- 

 nance more food, about one-third more, than normal dogs. The spleen 

 makes a complete utilization of the food possible or diminishes its con- 

 sumption.. 



An increase in the quantity of uric acid eliminated in splenic leucaemia 

 has been observed by many investigators (see Chapter XIV), while the 

 reverse has been observed under the influence of quinine in large doses, 

 which produces an enlargement of the spleen. These facts give a rather 

 positive proof that there is a close relation between the spleen and the 



1 Magnus-Levy, Bioch. Zeitschr., 24; H. J. Corper, Journ. of biol. Chem., 11. 

 2 Asher and Grossenbacher, Centralbl. f. Physiol.. 22, 375, and Bioch. Zeitschr, 17 ; 

 Zimmermann, Bioch. Zeitschr., 17; R. Bayer, Bioch. Centralbl., 9, 815. 



3 Schiff, cited by Herzen, Pfliiger's Arch., 30, 295, 308, and 84, and Maly's Jahr- 

 esber., 18; Prym, Pfltiger's Arch., 104 and 107; see also Chapter VIII. 



4 Journ. de Physiol. et de Pathol. gen., 14 and 15. 



