HISTOLOGIC CHANGES PRODUCED EXPERIMENTALLY IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF MONKEYS BY MERCURY

Abstract

In previous papers on the histologic changes produced experimentally in rabbits and rats by arsphenamin, neo-arsphenamin and mercury1we have reported certain lesions in the central nervous system of these animals, which may be summarized as follows: Multiple doses of the arsenicals, in excess of the calculated therapeutic amounts, produced hyperemia, focal hemorrhages, some endothelial proliferation and, frequently, hyaline or conglutination thrombosis. After multiple doses of the mercurials, the most striking findings were, in a considerable number of rabbits, a perivascular and pial small round cell infiltration. This later lesion had not been observed in the numerous control animals nor in those treated with the arsenicals, and was therefore regarded as being induced by the mercurials used. We felt, however, in view of the importance of the subject, that these experiments should be repeated, and we selected monkeys because of their closer phylogenetic relationship to man. An added reason