Microlith
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
A microlith is a microscopic concretion that can form under certain conditions into a regular concretion called a macrolith. These formations occur in ducts of various glandular organs, particularly in the biliary system, and consist of lime, pigments, and sometimes metals.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Microlith, a microscopic concretion that forms under certain conditions into a regular concretion-macrolith. The size of M. can be smaller and larger than a red blood cell, sometimes reaching 30-50 μ. Their shape is most often round or oval, their structure is layered, sometimes radially striated. M. are found in the ducts of various glandular organs, especially in the biliary system, in the pancreatic, seminal duct, and in the renal pelvis. M. can apparently form in the protoplasm of cells, for example, due to disruption of their secretion conditions. The formation of "macroliths from M. occurs through their gluing together with the help of various organic substances, but not through growth, resp. the layering of new masses that build up M. The composition of M. includes lime, various pigments, and sometimes also certain metals (copper, iron), which apparently play a catalytic role. M. of bile have been most studied (Askanazy).
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Cite this page
“Microlith.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/microlith/