STUDIES ON INFLAMMATION

Abstract

Colloidal iron or ferric chloride injected into the inflamed peritoneal cavity is fixed in the cavity and fails to reach the retrosternal lymphatic nodes, whereas, in the absence of inflammation, iron accumulates in these nodes and becomes demonstrable by the Prussian blue reaction. Quantitative studies show that after intraperitoneal injection of ferric chloride the retrosternal lymphatic nodes of animals with normal peritoneal cavity contain approximately 56 per cent more iron than do the nodes of animals with inflamed peritoneal cavity. Ferric chloride injected into the circulating blood enters an inflamed area in the skin and the inflamed tissue gives the Prussian blue reaction. Quantitative determinations show that the amount of iron in inflamed areas is much greater than that found in inflamed areas of animals that have received no iron.