228 COLLOIDS IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 



hard as in the most aggravated glaucoma. On the other hand, by the 

 injection of a few drops of 1/8 to 1/6 molecular (4.05 to 5.41 per cent) 

 sodium citrate solution under the conjunctiva, it was possible to cause 

 the pressure in human glaucoma and in artificially glaucomatous eyes 

 to become normal or even subnormal in less than five minutes. [The 

 observation of RIESMAN on the lowered ocular tension of diabetics and 

 the lowering of ocular tension by intravenous injection of glucose by 

 WooDYATT's 1 method are important in this connection. Tr.] 



Cloudiness of the cornea occurs without reference to the absorption 

 of water by the eye. It probably depends on the precipitation of a 

 protein, since all acids, bases, salts and nonelectrolytes which cause a 

 precipitation of proteins cause a corneal turbidity. What is true of the 

 cornea may be supposed to apply also to the other transparent media 

 of the eye, the lens and the vitreous humor. Here, too, therapeutic 

 results have been obtained already, by injecting sodium citrate. 



HAYWARD G. THOMAS obtained an improvement in vision in cases 

 showing a cloudiness of the cornea, the lens or the vitreous humor. 

 It is natural to assume that the turbidity is due to a reversible pre- 

 cipitation of albumin. Similar results were obtained in an edema of 

 the tissues surrounding the knee. 



The tiny swellings which result from insect bites are regarded by 

 M. H. FISCHER as local edemas produced by a drop of acid or some 

 substance which interferes with the normal oxidative processes of 

 the tissues. The beneficial action of ammonia, customarily employed 

 on insect bites, favors this view. M. H. FISCHER produced "artificial 

 flea bites " on gelatin plates by sticking them with needles dipped in 

 formic acid and then placing them in water; with ammonia he was 

 able to make the swellings recede. 



One of M. H. FISCHER'S observations seems of great significance to 

 me in explaining the phenomena of some skin diseases. He ob- 

 served in gelatin plates upon which moulds had been sown, an ele- 

 vation in the centre of each colony (swelling). If we recall that many 

 skin diseases are caused by true fungi related to the moulds, and 

 that in many, the most characteristic symptoms are wheals (swell- 

 ings), papules and vesicles, the analogy cannot be neglected. More- 

 over, we must think of analogous processes if we consider other local 

 edemas occurring after inoculation with infectious microorganisms 

 or the injection of diphtheria antitoxin. 



In a later work, M. H. FiscHER* 2 elaborated his fundamental 

 ideas of cellular pathology and studied cloudy swelling. Cloudy 

 swelling is found in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and muscle cells of 



1 Studies in Intermediate Carbohydrate Metabolism. R. T. Woodyatt. 

 Harvey Lecture, 1915-1916, p. 328. 



