100 SUPPURATION.
to exert upon them a corrosive influence, Pieces of flesh put into jresh pus gradually lost weight, and were at last dissolved, with- out any evidence of putrefaction haying occurred. Under similar circumstances Rocklinghausen found that pieces of coagulated albu- men became infiltrated with pus-cells, which had penctrated their substance. Mr. H. Lee has shown that pus possesses a remarkable power of accelerating the coagulation of blood, In one experiment the blood, which had pus (healthy) added to it, coagulated in six minutes; while that which was left by itself required twelve. This is probably duc to the paraglobulin or fibrino-plastic sub- stance which has been found in the serum of pus, and which reacts with the superabundant fibrinogenous substance of the blood seram. Much weight has been laid on this proporty of pus, in relation to the theory of pyemia.
Formution-of Pus Corpuscles—With respect to the origin of pus corpuscles there is the same difference of opinion as exists about the corpuscles of inflammatory lymph already spoken of; and there can be no dewbt that the explanation of the one will also be the explanation of the other. It was at ono time pretty generally held that pus-corpuscles were formed in a fluid blastoma, by the process of ‘‘froe cell formation,” either by the grouping of granules or by the growth and enlargement of minute granular globules. In some casos also it was held, from a solid blas- toma of coagulated fibrine, by the liquefaction of the solid fibrino, und the multiplication of the corpuscles (which when very numerous, are called pus-corpuscles); or by a similar process, from granulation tissue; so that, in Paget's words, ‘the cells of pus from wounds are ill-developed or degenerate granulation eolls;” and “the most frequent Aegmneranon of inflammatory lymph is into pus.” In distinction to all these views camo the comprehensive gonoralization of the Cellular Pathology, which uniting in one schome the cells of ordinary inflammatory lymph, of granulations, and of pus, regarded them all as derivatives of the cells or nuclei of the tissues. At first the power of producing new cells was supposed to be limited to the connective tissue, but it was afterwards shown that it must, on the same greunds, be ascribed also to epithelial structures, This theory was for a long time accepted universally in Germany and by many pathologists in this country and in France; but it has since the researches of Cohnheim, already mentioned, undergone much curtailment; and there are probably few observers who do not admit that many at least of the pus-corpuscles are nothing but emigrant blood cells. Without entering much into dotails, we must look for a moment at the explanation given of these two theories of swppuration in solid organs or abscess, and suppuration on mucous surfaces,
Abscess.—The changes of tissue elements, in the formation of an abscess, or in purulent infiltration, were studied with extraordinary minuteness by Weber, in 1858.* He found in all the surrounding |
- Virchow’s ‘‘ Archiy,” vol. xv.
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