INFLAMMATION AND PROCESSES OF REPAIR 143 



Exudation. As the blood-current slows down the 

 white blood-corpuscles gather along the vessel walls, 

 through which they presently begin to pass, prompted, 

 no doubt, by a change in the walls of the vessels and an 

 attraction for the irritant that is causing the inflamma- 

 tory reaction. Along with this migration of the leuko- 

 cytes there occurs an exudation of inflammatory lymph 

 which is modified blood-serum. This infiltration of the 

 tissues with leukocytes and lymph is the origin of the 

 "tumor" or swelling. 



DEGENERATIVE CHANGES 



Any irritant sufficient to cause inflammation causes 

 more or less tissue degeneration or necrosis, so we have 

 as a part of inflammation more or less necrosis. 



Proliferation. In all inflammation of any extent there 

 occurs a certain amount of connective-tissue cell pro- 

 liferation. It is probable that this is an attempt on the 

 part of nature to supply new tissue to take the place of 

 that injured or destroyed by the inflammatory process. 



Resolution. The recovery from an inflammatory 

 process occurs more or less as follows: The leukocytes 

 re-enter the blood-vessels or pass into the lymph- vessels. 

 The liquid exudate is absorbed by the blood-vessels or 

 lymphatics; the necrotic tissue is either removed by 

 the phagocytes or becomes liquefied and is absorbed. 

 The regenerated tissue remains and takes the place of 

 the destroyed tissue, forming what is termed a scar. 



