﻿312 
  

  

  Dr. 
  G. 
  Thin 
  on 
  Traumatic 
  

  

  [Mar. 
  11, 
  

  

  processes 
  the 
  stellate 
  cells 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  stable 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  cellular 
  elements 
  

   of 
  the 
  cornea. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  superficial 
  corneal 
  epithelium 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  

   stellate 
  cells 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  serum 
  preparations 
  of 
  inflamed 
  cornea. 
  Indi- 
  

   cations 
  of 
  similar 
  cells 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  gold 
  and 
  hematoxylin 
  prepara- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  healthy 
  cornea. 
  

  

  In 
  inflammation 
  the 
  cells 
  of 
  this 
  network 
  show 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  increase 
  

   in 
  size 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  health. 
  

  

  The 
  changes 
  produced 
  by 
  inflammation 
  in 
  the 
  spindle 
  cells 
  may 
  be 
  

   divided 
  into 
  three 
  stages 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (a) 
  Preparations 
  examined 
  in 
  serum 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  cell-protoplasm 
  

   has 
  become 
  increased 
  in 
  amount, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  cell-processes 
  can 
  be 
  

   distinctly 
  traced. 
  This 
  stage 
  can 
  be 
  observed 
  after 
  twelve 
  hours' 
  inflam- 
  

   mation, 
  resulting 
  from 
  slight 
  cauterization 
  in 
  a 
  winter 
  frog. 
  The 
  swelling 
  

   of 
  the 
  protoplasm 
  is 
  often 
  confined 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  tracts 
  of 
  the 
  cornea, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  clefts 
  separating 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  this 
  appearance 
  

   from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  normal 
  cornea. 
  The 
  area 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   hood 
  of 
  the 
  cauterized 
  part 
  towards 
  the 
  limbus. 
  

  

  (5) 
  The 
  swelling 
  of 
  the 
  protoplasm 
  extends 
  along 
  the 
  processes 
  from 
  

   one 
  cell 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  a 
  chain 
  of 
  spindle 
  cells 
  being 
  often 
  represented 
  by 
  

   a 
  long 
  column 
  of 
  protoplasm 
  on 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  very 
  slight 
  constrictions. 
  

   This 
  description 
  applies 
  to 
  osmic-acid 
  preparations. 
  Deep 
  staining 
  with 
  

   red 
  aniline 
  and 
  subsequent 
  treatment 
  with 
  acetic 
  acid 
  renders 
  the 
  nuclei 
  

   visible 
  in 
  this 
  protoplasmic 
  column. 
  This 
  stage 
  is 
  well 
  seen 
  in 
  osmic-acid 
  

   preparations 
  of 
  a 
  rabbit's 
  cornea 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  24 
  hours 
  inflamed 
  by 
  

   the 
  passing 
  of 
  a 
  thread. 
  

  

  (c) 
  With 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  protoplasm, 
  and 
  with 
  

   or 
  without 
  its 
  presence 
  in 
  the 
  processes 
  in 
  a 
  granular 
  form, 
  nuclear 
  

   bodies 
  (resulting 
  from 
  a 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  nucleus) 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  osmic-acid 
  

   preparations 
  to 
  be 
  contained 
  in, 
  or 
  partly 
  expelled 
  from, 
  the 
  cell, 
  which 
  

   are 
  identical 
  in 
  appearance 
  with 
  the 
  red 
  blood-corpuscles 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   new 
  vessels 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  preparations. 
  This 
  identity 
  in 
  appearance 
  is 
  

   further 
  maintained 
  by 
  staining 
  osmic-acid 
  preparations 
  with 
  red 
  aniline, 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  nuclear 
  products 
  and 
  red 
  blood-corpuscles 
  are 
  stained 
  a 
  like 
  

   tint 
  and 
  deeper 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  elements. 
  The 
  author 
  infers 
  from 
  these 
  

   appearances 
  that 
  in 
  inflammation 
  the 
  nuclei 
  become 
  free 
  bodies, 
  which 
  are 
  

   equivalent 
  to 
  red 
  blood-corpuscles. 
  

  

  The 
  appearances 
  described 
  by 
  Key 
  and 
  Wallis, 
  Cohnheim, 
  and 
  others 
  

   as 
  white 
  corpuscles 
  in 
  " 
  Spindelform," 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  osmic-acid 
  preparations 
  

   to 
  be 
  spindle 
  cells 
  made 
  more 
  prominent 
  by 
  inflammation. 
  

  

  The 
  " 
  spiessartige 
  Figuren" 
  seen 
  in 
  gold 
  preparations 
  are 
  produced 
  by 
  

   the 
  protoplasm 
  which 
  immediately 
  surrounds 
  the 
  nuclei 
  of 
  the 
  spindle 
  

   cells 
  being 
  visible, 
  whilst 
  from 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  preparation 
  the 
  connecting 
  

   processes 
  are 
  invisible. 
  

  

  "White 
  blood-cells 
  in 
  the 
  inflamed 
  cornea 
  can 
  be 
  identified 
  with 
  most 
  

  

  