Glycogen infiltration (so-called hydropic degeneration) of the pancreas in experimental and human diabetes mellitus.

Note: Appendix bound separately in manuscript.In 1901 Weichselbaum and Stangl described unique changes in the islets of Langerhans of 18 pancreases from comatose diabetic human subjects. Having found the affected islet cells uncolored by methods designed to demonstrate hyaline and mucoid forms of degeneration, they (1902) later interpreted the lesion as a manifestation of cytoplasmic vacuolation and liquefaction, and applied the term hydropic degeneration to indicate its presumably aqueous character. Allen (1913) accomplished the first experimental production of a similar lesion in the islets and ductules of the pancreatic remnants of dogs made diabetic by resection of nine-tenths of the pancreas. At about the same time Homans (1914, 1915) demonstrated that in the islets of such experimental material degranulation and vacuolation developed only in the beta cells. Both Allen and Homans failed to find fat, mucin or glycogen in the affected cells; both concluded, as Weichselbaum did, that the vacuoles represented aqueous fluid. Richardson (1939-40), Ham and Haist (1941), Lukens and Dohan (19140, 1942) and Lukens, Dohan, and Wolcott (1943) described the pancreases of dogs and cats treated with anterior pituitary extract; these authors apparently accepted the idea of aqueous vacuolation as the basis of “hydropic degeneration” in their material.[...