1910. | | Aydrochloric Acid in the Gastric Tubules. 85 
vessels. The richness of the blood supply in the region of the mucosa in 
which the parietal cells predominate has been demonstrated in the rabbit by 
Bohm and Davidoff.* 
With reference to the spontaneous occurrence of the Prussian blue reaction 
in the skin previously mentioned, this was observed in four instances (dog, 
* rabbit, guinea-pigs) in the muscles of the skin at the site of inoculation. The 
microscopical examination showed that the deposit of Prussian blue was 
situated in the inner structure of the muscle fibre itself. Further particulars 
are withheld, as the results obtained may appear in a future paper. Doubt- 
less the explanation is that the reaction was here brought about by the 
presence of an organic acid, probably sarcolactic acid, resulting from injury 
to the fibre. Dreser,f when demonstrating the acidity of the muscles 
during activity by means of a decolourised solution of acid fuchsin, found 
the red reaction in the lymph spaces between the muscle fibres, but not in 
the fibres themselves. 
Before passing to experiments made with other reagents, brief mention 
is here made of the occurrence of mitosis in the cells of the gastric 
glands, observed in one or two instances in the rabbit, notably in Rabbit 2 
Mitotic figures in various stages were remarkably prevalent in the cells 
lining the crypts, and were present also in the ceils of the upper part of the 
necks of the glands, and occasionally in some of the parietal cells in the 
lower portion of the tubules. 
Among other observers this phenomenon has previously been observed 
by Sachsf in the surface epithelium of the gastric mucosa in man, and 
in the surface epithelium and in the cells of the crypts in the dog in 
pathological conditions; by Bizzozero§ in the cells of the crypts; and by 
Bensley|| in the cells of the crypts and in the chief cells of the necks of 
mammalian gastric glands. 
A few experiments were made to see if a result approaching that recorded 
by Sehrwald{! could be obtained by placing portions of the fresh gastric 
mucosa of the rabbit and of the guinea-pig into an aqueous solution of 2°25 per 
cent. ammonium ferric citrate for 18 to 24 hours, and later, after teasing, 
into one of 1:5-per-cent. potassium ferrocyanide. In some cases the tissues were 
* Bohm and Davidoff, ‘Lehrb. d. Histol. d. Menschen,’ 1895. 
t H. Dreser, ‘Centralbl. f. Physiol.,’ 1887, vol. I. 
{ A. Sachs, eWechtt f, exp. Path. und Pharmakologie,’ 1886, vol. 29, pp. 155-178 ; 
1887, vol. 24, p. 109. 
§ Bizzozero, ‘Anat. Anz.,’ 1888, vol. 3, No. 26, p. 781; ‘Archiv f. Mikros. Anat.,’ 1893, 
vol. 42. 
|| R. Bensley, ‘Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci.,’ 1899, vol. 41. 
‘| Sehrwald, ‘ Miinchener Med. Wochenschr.,’ 1889, p. 177. 
