Correlation of the Histological and Chemical Changes in the Spleen during Necrosis and Autolysis

The most marked chemical changes in a disintegrating spleen are noticed during the period when karyorrhexis and karyolysis are the characteristic features. When pyknosis alone is prominent almost all of the several constituents are in the coagulable or precipitable fraction, just as they are in the original normal tissue. After karyolysis is practically complete the coagulable and precipitable elements of the tissue still gradually decrease in amount, but the rate is far below that occurring during karyorrhexis and karyolysis. Moreover, even when microscopical nuclear disintegration is practically at an end, the chemical process of disintegration is still going on, but very slowly. Finally, when nuclear structures can no longer be seen in the spleen, about 72 per cent. of the nuclein nitrogen, about 50 per cent. of the original insoluble phosphorus, and 70 per cent. of the original insoluble nitrogen, are still in the insoluble form (precipitable and coagulable by alcohol), while about two thirds of the phosphatid phosphorus remains in complex organic combinations.