Histochemical investigations were performed on the stored lipids in cases of infantile and juvenile amaurotic idiocy, gargoylism, Gaucher's disease and Niemann-Pick's disease.
The results obtained are summarized as follows.
1. A new histochemical detecting method of ganglioside was established.
2. In amaurotic idiocy, cerebroside especially ganglioside and phosphatide especially sphingomyelin are deposited in the ganglion cells. In gargoylism, cerebroside especially ganglioside and phosphatide especially sphingomyelin are detected in the ganglion cells. Acid mucopolysaccharide is deposited in the perivascular tissue and probablly in the ganglion cells. In Gaucher's disease cerebroside is detected in the enlarged cells. In Niemann-Pick's disease, phosphatide especially sphingomyelin is deposited in the enlarged cells.
3. The stored lipids in primary lipoidoses give positive reactions to all of sudan III, PAS and nile blue sulfate stains.
4. For differentiations of stored lipids in primary lipoidoses, the test method for cerebroside, Bial's test, the common test method for phosphatide, alcian blue stain and Smith-Dietrich's method are believed to be useful.