The Chemical Nature of the Subcutaneous Fat in the Normal and Sclerematous Infant

SOLEREMA NEONATORUM is a rare but interesting condition peculiar to infants and is characterised by the appearance of hard well-defined thickenings of the subcutaneous tissue. It is with the material composing these swellings that this investigation is concerned. Frozen sections of the tissue show large numbers of sheaves of crystals which, seen through crossed Nicol prisms, are doubly refracting. It was the observation of the presence of these crystals which led to this work being undertaken, for their doubly-refracting nature suggested that they were probably cholesterol or its esters. Subsequent work proved that this view was probably incorrect, and the work finally took the form of an enquiry into the nature of the subcutaneous fat in normal children and in those suffering from sclerema.