Water exchange of collagenous tissues and of gelatin.

Water exchange of parenchymatous tissue, namely liver, kidney, or pancreas, occurs by osmosis, and the movement of water, as is well known, occurs in direct relation to the concentration of the surrounding solution. But the present work shows that the hydration of collagenous tissues, like that of gelatin, occurs in strong as well as in weak solutions of sodium chloride. The water intake of collagenous tissue in solutions of sodium chloride or of sucrose increases with increased density of the tissue and the sequence of changes is like that observed with gels of increasing gelatin content under the same conditions. Dense collagenous tissue, apparently impervious to the movement of water, exhibits a conspicuous ability to attract and hold it.