Degenerative Changes in the Liver. 83 



contained blood and mucus. Twelve of the animals not only 

 recovered from the gastroenteritis, but they failed to develop 

 any delayed evidence of an intoxication. The remaining animals 

 were either killed during the period of acute corrosive poisoning, 

 or after having successfully passed through this stage, the experi- 

 ments were terminated at different periods when the animals 

 were suffering from the remote toxic effect of the poison. 



As a result of these studies, the following observations have 

 been made: 



1. There is no relationship between the severity of the 

 gastroenteritis and the extent of the degenerative changes in 

 the liver. The degenerative changes in the liver consist first, 

 in a deposition of fat in the liver cells surrounding the central 

 vein of the lobule. The severer changes which follow consist in 

 cloudy swelling and necrosis of these cells, and an extension of 

 the process to the periphery of the lobule. The invasion of the 

 necrotic area by endothelial leucocytes is usually not a prominent 

 reaction. 



2. The more extensive liver degenerations have occurred in 

 those animals that have recovered from the acute gastroenteritis 

 but have later shown remote evidence of the intoxication by the 

 development of an acute kidney injury. 



3. A final group of animals has recovered from both the 

 gastroenteritis and the kidney injury, but at a later period has 

 shown the gradual or rapid development of an acid intoxication 

 and a kidney injury of sufficient seventy to induce an anuria. 

 The pathology of the liver in this group of animals has shown two 

 types of response. Evidence of repair has consisted in finding 

 liver cells with mitotic figures and occasionally large cells with more 

 than one nucleus. Connective tissue cells are more numerous 

 than in normal liver tissue. In addition to these changes of a 

 chronic character that indicate the repair of some previous injury, 

 the liver has shown acute degenerative changes which are most 

 marked in the midzone and periphery of the lobule. These 

 changes have consisted in an acute necrosis which is preceded by 

 fatty infiltration and edema. In the areas of necrosis, the sinu- 

 soids are large and distended with blood. 



