Abstract
Since the first publication of Josué in 1903, who succeeded in producing artificial arterio-sclerosis by intravenous injection of adrenalin, a great deal of work has been done on the subject. Successful results were reported by treating animals with digalen, barium chloride, hydrastin, nicotine and a number of other substances. The lesions thus produced resemble closely the atheromatous degeneration in the human aorta.
The site of the lesion is usually the ascending portion or the arch of the aorta. The process occurs primarily in the media of the vessel wall and consists in necrosis of the smooth muscle cells, thickening and breaking up of the elastic fibers, and the appearance of calcareous deposits in the diseased areas.
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