128 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



In dogs examined after three months the spleen was found to 

 be diminished in size, paler and firmer. In those examined one 

 year after ligation of the splenic veins the organ was found to be 

 greatly atrophic and fibroid, in two cases completely separated into 

 small islands or lobes of splenic tissue, each lobe having a separate 

 vein running into the gastro -splenic omentum, and anastomosing 

 with veins from the stomach. Such a collateral circulation was 

 found established in all cases. 



All animals with splenic atrophy become very fat. Hyper- 

 plasia of the prevertebral hemolymph nodes was noted. There 

 was a slight anemia, the hemoglobin being reduced to a greater 

 degree than the red blood cells. No lasting changes in the white 

 cells were observed. Microscopically the spleen showed a 

 lymphoid atrophy, relative increase of stroma and excessive 

 pigmentation. 



These experiments would indicate that obstruction of the 

 splenic veins of dogs by ligation is not followed by a fibroid 

 hyperplasia of the spleen but by a partial atrophy. A more or 

 less complete venous collateral circulation is always produced. 

 The picture of splenic anemia as seen in man can not, therefore, 

 be reproduced in the dog, by an obstruction to the venous outflow 

 from the spleen. 



90 (233) 



An experimental control of Fischer's attraxin-theory. 

 By C. SNOW. (Communicated by ALDRED S. WARTHIN.) 



[From the Pathological Laboratory \ University of Michigan.^ 



Fischer recently reported from Ribbert's laboratory 1 that by 

 injecting a solution of Scharlach R, Sudan III or Indo-phenol in 

 olive oil under the skin of the ears of rabbits he was able to get an 

 epithelial proliferation which was not to be distinguished histo- 

 logically from a squamous-celled carcinoma in man. He was not 

 able to get this result with other substances acting as irritants, 

 and therefore assumed the existence of specific bodies — attraxins 

 — in the injected solution, which exerted a chemotactic influence 

 on the epithelial cells. 



Fischer: Milnch. Med. Wochtnschrift, Oct. 16, 1906. 



