The Role of Autolysis in Infarction. 171 



nitrogen of muscle, a considerable error is introduced. It is 

 our aim in completing this series of determinations to employ 

 trichloracetic acid or some other fluid for extraction which will 

 approximate the true values more closely. 



It is hoped that these studies may form a basis for comparison 

 with pathological muscle tissue. 



99 (1277) 



The role of autolysis in infarction. 



By D. C. Straus and Max Morse. 



[From the Nelson Morris Memorial Institute for Medical Research, 

 Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago.} 



Are the conditions which are believed to be necessary for autolysis 

 realized in infarction! A true acidity is known to be necessary in 

 some critical cases for autolysis, 1 that is, P H < 7, o. Infarction 

 was made by kidney vessel ligation. The C H was determined 

 for the control blood and for that of the blood from the kidney 

 after various periods of time elapsing after ligation. 



Time. Ph.« 



Control from the normal kidney vein 7.2 



45 minutes after ligation 6.0 



Control minutes after ligation 7.2 



After four hours' ligation 6.0 



Again, in a guinea-pig liver, excised and frozen by CO2 

 within 50 seconds after excision, ground up and suspended in 

 0.9 per cent. NaCl solution and introduced into a Clark (W. M.) 

 shaking hydrogen electrode C H gave P H 6, 5, the blood control 

 giving 7, 2. After 35 minutes, P H = 6, 3. 3 This rapid rise in C H 

 is in harmony with the observations of Hopkins, Moore and Roaf, 

 concerning the origin of lactic acid immediately after the death of 

 the tissue. It is likewise compatible with the determinations which 

 Taschiro 4 has made on C0 2 evolution after injury. The conclu- 



1 Morse, Max, "Enzyme and reaction of medium in autolysis," Journ. Biol. 

 Chem.. 1917, XXX, 197. 



1 By the S0rensen colorimetric method. 

 ' By the potentiometer method. 



4 Taschiro, S., "Chemical Sign of Life," Chicago, 1917. 



