Abstract
Amyloidosis in humans is a secondary condition, resulting from a long continued suppurative infection or wasting disease. It is believed by some that it is not a degenerative process, but a physicochemical disorder. The amyloid substance is deposited in the organs, initiating changes which interfere with the function of the organ. The theoretical aspects of this question will be discussed in a subsequent paper.
Some favorable clinical results obtained in a group of patients suffering with amyloidosis secondary to bone tuberculosis, as a result of administering a concentrated powdered whole liver preparation, led us to study this matter experimentally. White mice were used as the experimental animals.
The mice were set into 3 groups. Thirty mice of Group I received diet No. 1, which consisted of oats, powdered whole milk, bread and water. Forty mice of Group II were fed diet No. 2, which contained chopped raw meat in addition to the constituents of diet No. 1. Diet No. 3, which included the liver preparation∗ plus diet No. 1, was given to the 40 mice of Group III.
Amyloidosis was produced in the white mice by subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of a 5% aqueous suspension of sodium caseinate (Pfannstiehl) which is also designated as nutrose solution. The inoculations were given daily for 6 days, omitted on the seventh day. This procedure was repeated weekly. The amounts given varied from 0.3 cc. to 0.5 cc. per day.
To detect the earliest possible traces of amyloid formation, differential staining, intra-vitam with 1 % Congo Red was used. This was in accordance with the methods of Smetana 1 and Jaffe 2 , and stained only the amyloid.
The following procedure was used: Under ether anesthesia, the thoracic bony wall was exposed but not opened, and 0.5 cc. to 1.0 cc. of a 1% aqueous solution of Congo Red was injected directly into the heart.
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