THE RELATION OF INFLAMMATION TO THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF CARBON COMPOUNDS SOLUBLE IN THE FLUIDS OF THE BODY

The peritoneal, like the pleural cavity, gives opportunity to measure with adequate accuracy the activity of inflammatory reactions defined by movement of fluid within the cavity, by migration of leucocytes into it, and by exudation of proteins from the plasma. The activity of inflammatory reactions caused by saccharides or by alcohols that were tested varied in accord with their molecular weight, the osmotic pressure maintained by solutions of corresponding concentration, their boiling point, or by other colligative properties. Blood serum or globulin in the concentration with which it occurs in blood serum injected into the peritoneal cavity caused changes which differed little from those caused by physiological salt solution. Protein with molecular weight as low as that of cytochrome C (12,000) or ovalbumin (45,000) when in dilute solution (1 per cent) were rapidly absorbed, whereas trypsin and chymotrypsin under the same conditions caused very active inflammatory reactions because they set free amino acids and perhaps polypeptides with amino acids in short chains. The activity of inflammatory reactions caused by carbon compounds soluble in body fluids varied in accord with their colligative properties.