STUDIES ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract

Information about the pathology of multiple sclerosis is fairly complete so far as it concerns the lesions in the central nervous system. Two main principles stand out: destruction and removal of the myelin from around the axis cylinder, and gliosis. While there has been dispute as to whether the myelinolysis or the gliosis is primary, it is now generally believed that the myelinolysis comes first. Nothing is known of the causes of the myelin disintegration and most of the contemporary interest revolves around its being either purely degenerative on the one hand, or the result of inflammation on the other. There have been no definitely successful attempts to learn whether the disease can be transmitted by inoculations with any of the body fluids from patients, such as blood and spinal fluid. The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis contains any