ON THE GIANT CELL WITH STELLATE BODY IN THE LYMPH GLANDS IN NODULAR LEPROSY

Abstract

Author publishes hare an old absorbed nodular case, whose various lymph glands contain many giant cells with stellate bodies. Two years ago Dr. Mitsuda found such a cell in nodular skin and testicle.
Author has examined several kinds of giant cells to find stellate body in vain:
1) in giant cell in tuberculous complication in nodular leprosy,
2) in giant cell in macula tuberculoid, and
3) in foreign body giant cell, artificially produced in leprom, putting lampwick inside.
Recently Prof. Mallory adviced the author to refer an article by Dr. E. F. Hirsch; radial inclusion of foamy cells, in the Arch, of Path. Vol. 20 No. 5 Nov. 1935, who reported 17 cases of giant cell with stellate body, containing no leprosy case. It is noteworthy that about all of his cases have any relationship with fat or oil. As, though chaulmoogra oil is used to be injected in leprosy, stellate body is only seen in nodular leprosy, not in neural, so it is certain that stellate body in nodular leprosy must have any relation with leprosy lipoid produccd.
Fig. 1 So many giant cells with stellate bodies in neck lymph gland.
Fig. 2 Right: So-called leprosy giant cell, whose protoplasma is filled with great lipoid facuoles.
Left: Langhans' giant cell with ste late body and fine drops of lipoid (Black drawn is Sudan III. Usually such a clear stellate body figure is only seen by elastica staining).
Fig. 3 Beside a fat globe is a giant cell, in which contours of two stellate bodies are seen in the upper and lower part of the protoplasma.