146 KEPOBT — 1887. 



chloroformed and killed by bleeding from tbe carotids ; the thorax 

 was then opened, and a cannula inserted into the aorta ; a stream of 

 salt solution (| per cent.) was then passed at considerable pressure 

 throuo-h the vessels by this means ; in about a minute the large veins 

 entering the heart were opened, and the mixture of blood and saline 

 solution allowed to escape ; in fi-om five to ten minutes the vessels were 

 entirely free from blood, and the fluid came through colourless. The abdo- 

 minal glands were then removed, and dissected from surrounding fat and 

 connective tissue ; as much also of the capsule was removed as possible, 

 and the glands were cut into small pieces, and ground up in a mortar 

 with saline solution. By this means the lymph-cells were freed almost 

 entirely from the remaining portions of the gland capsules, which were 

 removed. The fluid, with the cells suspended in it, was poured into 

 test-tubes, the cells in a short time settling to the bottom and forming a 

 yellowish- white deposit. This process of settling was hastened by centri- 

 fugalising ; the supernatant liquid was poured off, and the cells again 

 ■washed with saline solution in a similar way. By this method the cells 

 were quickly freed from any lymph which might still have been in con- 

 tact with them. Microscopical examination of the cells showed that 

 they still possessed their normal appearance, except for a small amount 

 of shrinkage. The supernatant saline liquid was found to contain in 

 small quantities the same proteids that were afterwards found in the cells, 

 a certain amount of their proteid constituents having thus entered into 

 solution. 



The lymph-corpuscles collected by this means were further examined 

 in order to determine qualitatively the kinds of proteids that they con- 

 tained. Lymph-corpuscles being typical animal cells, this research was 

 in other words directed to the determination of the varieties of proteid 

 that occur in protoplasm. 



The methods adopted for this investigation consisted in extracting 

 the cells with various saline solutions, and then of examining these 

 extracts by the methods of precipitation by neutral salts, and of fractional 

 heat-coagulation. 



Although it appears that this subject has not been investigated before 

 in the same way, it should be mentioned that a very similar research was 

 undertaken by Miescher ^ on the proteids of pus cells. He found that 

 these cells contained five proteids, as follows : — 



1. An alkali-albumin. 



2. A proteid coagulable by heat at 48°-49° C. 



3. Serum-albumin. 



4. A proteid formerly considered to be myosin, which swells up into 



a jelly-like substance on admixture with solutions of sodium 

 chloride. 



5. A proteid insoluble in water, and in sodium chloride solution, and 



soluble with difiiculty in dilute hydrochloric acid. 



Miescher also investigated the properties and composition of the 

 mucin-like substance called nuclein, which composes in main the sub- 

 stance of the cell nuclei, and which remains undigested in artificial gastric 

 juice, and can be thus separated from the investing protoplasm. 

 Although pus cells are in origin white blood corpuscles, yet on account of 

 the degenerative changes they undergo while in an abscess cavity they 



> Miescher, ' Ueber die chemische Zusammensetzung der Eiterzellen.' Eoppe- 

 Seyler, Med. Chevi. Untersuchungen, p. 441. 



