On the nature of the substance found in the amyloid degeneration of various organs of the human body / by Francis Harris.

  • Harris, Francis.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the nature of the substance found in the amyloid degeneration of various organs of the human body / by Francis Harris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/28 (page 16)
    numbers, and here and there minute oil globules. The convo¬ luted tubuli appeared compressed, much reduced in diameter, and in parts so constricted, that some of them presented little varicose bulgings; their epithelium was changed into a mass of oil globules, in which no trace of cell structure was any longer visible. In parts the intertubular substance appeared distinctly organised into connective tissue. The malpighian bodies appeared solid, compact, and homo¬ geneous, and refracted the light strongly, and on the addition of iodine, first alone, and afterwards with dilute sulphuric acid, they exhibited changes of colour exactly similar to those described in the last case, with this difference, however, that the change extended for a much greater distance into the arteries. Arteries even of considerable size had very thick homogeneous walls, quite equal in thickness to the calibre of the artery ; the whole thick¬ ness of the walls became coloured by the iodine, so that under the microscope they appeared as if injected with some red preparation. The third case was a young man, set. 21, who about eleven months before his death was admitted into John Ward of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, under the care of Dr. Jeaffreson. At the time of his admission his right pleural cavity was full of fluid. After some time a large quantity of pus was let out by paracentesis, and from time to time a discharge of pus issued from the opening thus made. He slowly sank, and on December 21st he died. I made the post-mortem examination on the following day. The right pleural cavity was distended by about two pints of pus. No trace of tubercle was found in either lung. The liver was large, weighed 4tb. 10 oz. was considerably displaced to the left by the accumulation of fluid in the right pleural cavity, and was firmly adherent to the diaphragm on the right side, to the abdominal parietes anteriorly, and to the right kidney inferiorly, its peritoneal covering in these situations being much thickened. Its edges were rounded. On section it was found very firm, cutting crisp and brawny. The colour of the cut surface was pale, pinkish, and semi-transparent, the lobules were distinctly marked out by white lines. The very centre of the lobules too.