Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 89
as to the severity and location. In four of were a few patches of thickening of the inthe
animals the vascular changes were evi- ternal coat which were in the early stages
dently early and consisted chiefly in a dif- of the formation of atheromatous ulcers,
fuse connective tissue overgrowth in the The second point of this work was to decellular
stage, which affected principally termine, if possible, the cause of the vascuthe
middle coat of the vessels but which lar degeneration. The following observawas
beginning to be more pronounced tion, we hope will have some weight and
around the blood vessels of the middle coat, throw some light on this side of the quese.
g. the vasa vasorum. This localization tion. Those animals which did not develop
of young connective tissue around these arterial changes and those in which these
nutrient
portant.
vessels of the middle coat is im- changes were only slight, gained in weight
I'or when the connective tissue under the use of alcohol, had good apetites,
reaches its fibrillary stage and contracts it
will inevitably compress the lumen of the
and showed no sign during life or at the
post-mortem of gastrointestinal irritation;
vessel which it surrounds and prevent an while those animals which developed the
adequate amount of nutrition in the form of most pronounced vascular changes and
blood from reaching tiie media. This will those in which these changes were fairly
aid, if not directly cause, degenerative severe, lost in weight under the use of alcochanges
of the middle coat. hoi, had a poor appetite, and a diarrhoea
In the vessels of three of the animals the
most marked changes were to be found in
during most of the time the alcohol was be-
ing used. At the post-mortem such anithe
inner coat. This consisted in a subendothelial
hyperplasia, which existed in
mals showed an acute
moderate severity.
diffuse enteritis of
patches, and which was most marked in the All of the animals were receiving the same
aortic arch. .A few of the patches were
loosing their nuclei, failing to stain and beamount
and the same strength of alcohol,
Some developed gastroenteritis and in these
ginning to develop into atheromatus ulcers, arterial changes were most pronounced.
The aorta of the three remaining animals Others did not develop a gastro-enteritis and
showed decided evidence of late degenera- in these animals there was either no arteriotive
changes. These changes existed as sclerosis or the arterial changes were slight,
well defined punched out or scooped out Rvidently some factor other than the alcoatheromatous
ulcers. Their location with hoi per se has an influence in the producone
exception was in the arch of the aorta, tion of degenerations of the blood vessels.
The inner and middle coats of the vessel Just what this is we are at present in no
were always involved, the floor of the ulcer position to say. The api)arent fact certainly
usually being formed by the outer part of affords an interesting field for speculation
the middle coal. In the aorta of one of the and investigation. It is not unlikely that
animals the ulceration was very extensive,
The ulcers were large, had a scooped out
in some individuals as well as in some animals
alcohol causes an acute catarrhal state
appearance and were found in the abdomi- of the stomach and intestines. As a result
nal as well as the upper aorta. The floor of this increased amount of blood to the
of one of these ulcers was formed by the mucous glands of the stomach and intestine
outer coal of the vessel, which was bulged they become hyperactive and produce an
nut on tlie surface as a sacculated aneurysm,
A detailed account of this work has been
excessive amount of mucous which is discharged
into the intestinerand here decorapublished
Medicine.
in The Archives of Internal
We feel certain that degeneraposes
with the liberation of
and other bodies which are
organic acids
absorbed and
five changes can be produced in the vessels lead primarily to a chronic auto-intoxicaof
the rabbit by the use of alcohol. (Jn
account of the small number of animals
tion, and secondarily to vascular degenera-
tioTi.
used the report is preliminary in its charac- conclusions.
used externally in weak solu-
ter. 1 . When
The (luestion naturally arises, might not lions alcohol is directly and indirectly a
these changes wliich were found in the vessels
have developed spontaneously and not
germicide,
2. When used in weak solutions, in the
be ascribable to tlie alcohol action. stomach and intestine, it acts mildly as an
To eliminate this possible source of error irritant, increases the amount of blood to
the vessels of eighteen presumably normal these structures, and increases the functionrabbits
were removed and studied micro- al activity of the gastric and intestinal
scopically. In fifteen of the vessels there glands.
was no evidence of general or localized ^. In strong solutions, by acting as a
sclerosis. In the remaining three vessels gastric irritant it reflexly increases the rate
there was in one a small round cell infillra- and perhaps the force of the heart beat.
tion of the media. In the other two there 4. After absorption it has no direct effect