Concerning the Naturally Acquired Resistance of the Livers of Certain Senile Dogs to Alcohol and to Chloroform. 20

Abstract

In the preceding report 1 the observation was made that when dogs recovered from an intoxication by uranium nitrate with the development in the liver of a morphologically altered flattened type of epithelium, the liver acquired a variable amount of protection to a secondary intoxication from this substance and also a resistance to the toxic action of chloroform when used as an anesthetic. Of the 161 dogs referred to in this report, 21 may be classified as senile, varying in age from 9 years and 2 months to 14 years and 4 months. Liver tissue removed from 15 of these 21 animals for purposes of control before any type of intoxication had been commenced, other than a light ether anesthesia, has shown a liver injury of unknown cause characterized by a change in the morphology of the liver cells from the normal polyhedral type to an atypical, flattened type with proportionately large, deeply staining nuclei. The capillary spaces between the cords of flattened liver cells are of such a diameter as to resemble venous sinuses. There has been no connective tissue overgrowth. The 15 dogs with this type of altered liver epithelium have shown when contrasted with senile animals with a normal liver epithelium a higher initial plasma concentration of phenoltetrachlorphthalein and a retention of the dye in the plasma for a longer period than animals with a normal epithelium.

Eight of the senile animals with the atypical type of flattened epithelium have been intoxicated by the use of 20 cc. of a 40% solution of ethyl alcohol per kilo for periods varying from 8 to 12 hours. The remaining 7 animals after a 2-day period of starvation have been anesthetized by chloroform for 2 hours.