100 ENZYMES 



after death that are, as might be expected, much like those seen 

 in necrotic areas. 1 At first the changes resemble those of par- 

 enchymatous degeneration (cloudy swelling), and often there is 

 an apparent increase in fat, which is probably due to liberation 

 of masked fat through the destruction of the proteid. 2 Nuclear 

 staining is lost (karyolysis), and eventually even cell forms 

 become indistinguishable, but this does not ordinarily become 

 complete in autolysis without bacterial complication. 



Still-born children that have been carried for some time 

 after death usually show considerable disintegration of the vis- 

 cera, especially the liver. This is undoubtedly due to autolysis, 

 which Schlesinger 3 has shown can begin before birth if the 

 fetus dies in utero. 



Autolysis in Relation to Infection. According to Con- 

 radi 4 the substances produced in tissue autolysis have a decided 

 inhibiting effect upon bacteria, which apparently depends upon 

 the antiseptic properties of the aromatic derivatives that are 

 split out of the proteid molecule in autolysis. This action is 

 manifested not only in vitro, but the autolytic products will also 

 render harmless lethal doses of certain bacteria if they are in- 

 jected simultaneously with the bacteria into an animal. It may 

 well be questioned, however, whether enough of these substances 

 ever accumulates in infected tissues during intra vitam autolysis 

 to have much effect upon the infecting bacteria ; yet this prop- 

 erty may possibly explain the sterilization of old pus collections 

 and similar infected accumulations within the body. The bac- 

 teria themselves also produce autolytic products that are power- 

 fully bactericidal. (See " Bacteria," Chap. iv). 



Blum 5 found that the autolytic products of lymph-glands 

 neutralized tetanus toxin, but were inactive against diphtheria 

 toxin and cobra venom. Products from other autolyzed organs 

 and from fresh lymph-glands were without influence on the 

 tetanus toxin. The antitoxic principles of the autolytic product 

 were destroyed by heating, weakened by acids and alkalies, and 

 in other respects showed properties strikingly like those of true 

 antitoxin. It is quite possible that bacterial toxins may be 

 destroyed by autolytic enzymes, for Baldwin and Levene 6 have 

 shown that trypsin, pepsin, and papain destroy tetanus and diph- 



1 More fully discussed by Wells, Jour. Med. Research. 1906 (15), 149. 



2 Siegert ( Hofmeister's Beitr., 1901 (1), 114) found no actual increase in fats 

 and fatty acids in autolysis even when an increase was apparent histologically, 

 although ether-soluble materials of other nature than fat may be increased. 



3 Hofmeister's Beitr., 1903 (4), 87. 



4 Hofmeister's Beitr., 1901 (1), 193. 

 5 Hofmeister's Beitr., 1904 (5), 142. 



6 Jour. Med. Research, 1901 (6), 120. 



