EXPERIMENTAL LIVER NECROSIS. V. THE FATS AND LIPOIDS

1. Changes which occur in the fat content of the liver of dogs receiving hæmotoxic serum bear no relation to the degree of necrosis produced by this serum. 2. An increase in water content of the tissue seldom occurs, but where present is due to the nitrogenous autolysis rather than to the deposition of fat. 3. The appearance of fat in the cell is not associated with a decomposition of the proteid component of the compound fats, but rather to a simple splitting off of the fatty radical. This is shown by the slight variations occurring in the percentage nitrogen of the fat-free substance. 4. The iodine equivalent diminishes as the fat content increases. This would indicate that in the fatty changes which occur, fats other than those containing oleate radicals make their appearance. 5. The ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen in the alcohol-chloroform extract remains practically constant in all degrees of necrosis. Hence the substances of the protagon and jecorin type hold the same relation to the lecithins during the autolysis as they do normally. 6. In a general way it may be said that the results obtained in the microchemical staining of the fats with Scharlach R agree with those found by chemical extraction methods.