146 



On a New Method of Examining Normal and Diseased Tissues 

 by Means of Intra-vitam Staining. 

 By Prof. Dr. Edwin Goldmann, University of Freiburg, Baden. 



(Communicated by H. G. Plimmer, F.R.S. Eeceived February 22, — 

 Read March 15, 1912.) 



(1) History of Method. 



The older methods of vital staining, such as the methyl-blue stain for 

 nerve fibres, neutral-red stains for glandular cells, and others, were limited 

 in their use to the differentiation of specific tissues. Ribbert was the first 

 to attempt a vital stain of the whole body by intravenous injections of 

 carmine solutions. The results achieved by this method in normal 

 (Ribbert, Schlecht) and pathological tissues (Pari) were not certain enough 

 to permit of its general use in histological practice. 



A new departure in the field of vital staining resulted from the attempts 

 to cure trypanosome and other infectious diseases of the blood through the 

 agency of aniline dyes, such as trypan-red and trypan-blue. Bouffard, 

 of the Pasteur Institute, investigated the cellular conditions following upon 

 the injection of trypan-blue. Without previous knowledge of his work I 

 undertook an extensive study of normal mice and rats, injected with 

 trypan-, isamin-, and pyrrhol-blue solutions. The substance of this research 

 was published in 1909 in a paper, " Aussere unci innere Sekretion des 

 gesunden und kranken Organismus im Lichte der vitalen Farbung, Teil I."* 

 Since then I have improved the method, searched for new staining media, 

 and have finally applied the vital stain for purposes of comparative 

 histological and pathological research. 



(2) Methods. 



A vital stain is achieved in an animal either by injecting the stain 

 subcutaneously, intraperitoneally, or into the blood-vessels. Confining 

 myself for the present to the two stains whose tissue reactions I have 

 already published, I have now determined that in mice and rats trypan- 

 blue acts equally well when injected under the skin as it does after intro- 

 duction into the blood-vessels. But whereas 1 c.c. of a 1-per-cent. solution 

 per 20 grm. of the animal's body-weight injected subcutaneously has no 



* 'Beitrage zur Klin. Chirurgie,' H. Laupp, Tubingen. In this paper, as well as in a 

 more recent one, published in the same journal in March, 1912, plates are to be found 

 which illustrate histological appearances referred to in this paper. 



