Scientific Proceedings. 



137 



view in two pronounced cases of parenchymatous degeneration 

 in man. 



The relation of the Altmann's granules to fat absorption and 

 fat secretion has already been studied carefully by Altmann him- 

 self and his pupils Krehl and Metzner, and they have also touched 

 upon the behavior of the granules in fatty degeneration in phos- 

 phorus poisoning. Their conclusion is that fat in all cases appears 

 first in and around the Altmann's granules ; they even succeeded in 

 demonstrating remnants of the granules in the center of the initial 

 fat droplets. My observations on the kidneys and liver are confirm- 

 atory of these views, although I never succeeded in seeing these rem- 

 nants of granules in the center of the first fat droplets. It seemed 

 more as if the granules were changed to fat in toto. In fatty degen- 

 eration (I use this term for want of a better one) the granules first 

 stain gray with osmic acid and do not take the acid fuchsin 

 stain any more. They may still retain their rod shape. Later 

 they become black and round. The first fat droplets invariably 

 have very nearly the size and in a general way the arrangement 

 of the Altmann's granules. Larger droplets are formed by the 

 fusion of these small ones. I am far, however, from concluding 

 with Altmann that these changes indicate any vital activity in the 

 granules. I should rather imagine that a considerable part of 

 their substance normally must be made up of a combination of 

 fats which does not give the usual reaction of fat and that during 

 fatty degeneration this combination is broken up and the fat 

 liberated. 



These observations furnish some explanation why granular 

 and fatty degeneration so frequently occur simultaneously, both 

 being the result of abnormal conditions in the Altmann's granules. 



I am greatly indebted to the Rockefeller Institute for financial 

 aid in carrying out these experiments. 



