Abstract
Buschke 1 and others believe that thallium acetate acts chiefly on the thyroid gland and the nervous system. Balbi, 2 however, is of the opinion that it does not have such action. Since the Golgi apparatus and the mitochondria are the most vital cellular elements known so far, it is suggested that a study of the action of thallium acetate on these elements in the 2 tissues in question should yield more definite information than ordinary histological examination of the tissue as a whole. The following observations have been made:
Eighteen albino rats of about the same age (3.25 to 3.5 months) and sex (male) were injected with a single injection of 8 mg. of thallium acetate per kilo of body weight and killed at weekly intervals thereafter for the study of the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and other cellular elements in various organs and tissues. For each experiment, 3 animals were employed.
Normally, the spinal ganglion cells contain a network-like Golgi apparatus and long and short, rod-like mitochondria interspersed with Nissl bodies concentrically around the nuclei. In the thyroid cells the network-like Golgi apparatus lies on the luminal side of the nucleus and the mitochondria run parallel along the long axis of the cells in the basal portions. The colloid substance in the thyroid vesicles exhibits a basophilic staining reaction.
The cellular changes after the administration of thallium acetate are summarized as follows: One week after the injection the Golgi apparatus in some of the thyroid cells is changed from network into droplets, the mitochondria from filaments into segmented granules, and the staining property of the colloid substance from basophilic to an acidophilic reaction. Two weeks after the injection the droplets and granules of the Golgi apparatus and mitochondria became much finer in all the cells and were found dispersed in the distal portions of the cells.
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