The chemistry of nerve-degeneration / F.W. Mott.

  • Mott, F. W. (Frederick Walker), 1853-1926.
Date:
1901
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The chemistry of nerve-degeneration / F.W. Mott. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    6/38 (page 440)
    a lesion in the opposite cerebral hemisphere, were divided longitudinally into two halves ; each half was extracted with ether in a Soxhlet’s apparatus. The residue of the ethereal extract from the degenerated side was more abundant, but contained less phosphorus than on the healthy side; on the healthy side the residue consisted chiedy of protagon crystals. The degenerated half of each cord was also more watery. Another worker who has made experiments in the same direction is A. Noll.* He showed that in Wallerian degeneration of peripheral nerves, the amount of protagon diminishes until there is at last none at all obtainable. After these introductory remarks we may now pass to the full consideration of our own results ; these may be most conveniently arranged under the following heads ;— 1. Examination of the blood in cases of nervous disease in man. 2. Experiments upon animals. A. Examination of the blood in cats in which Wallerian degeneration had been produced by section of nerves. B. Chemical examination of the degenerated nerves. C. Histological examination of the degenerated nerves. 3. General conclusions. The histological part of the work has been carried out entirely by one of us (F. W. M.). The experiments in wliich living animals were employed were carried out entirely by the other (W. D. H.) at King’s College. In this part of the work cats were exclusively employed. The animals were anaesthetised with the A.C.E. (alcohol, chloroform, ether) mixture during the operation, and rigid antiseptic precautions adopted. 1.—Examination of the Blood in Cases of Nervous Disease in Man. In our former paper, we mentioned the fact that we had examined the blood from several cases of General Paralysis. The blood was removed by venesection as a remedial measure during seizures, and gave both the chemical and physiological tests for choline which we have already described. We have also describedf the results of examining in a similar way, the blood from a case of Beri-beri. This is a trojiical disease, which is accompanied by extensive degenerative changes in nerves and muscles, and great vascular depression. A saline solution of the residue from the alcoholic extract of the blood, produced on injection a marked physiological result like that caused liy a large dose of choline. The amount of material at onr disj)osal did not enable us to make a thorough chemical examination of the l)lood. Using the platinum test we only obtained some ill-formed * ‘ Zeitsch. f. Physiol. Cheni.,’ vol. 27, p. 370, 1899. t ‘ British Medical Journal,’ July 29th, 1899.