[Histological and histochemical changes in the crystalline lenses of lead-contaminated chickens]

Six days chicken embryos were contaminated by lead acetate. The first group received 0.5 mg Pb/egg, the 2nd--2.5 mg Pb/egg and the 3d--a control one--0.1 ml H2O dest/egg. On the second day after hatch the eyes were enucleated for examination, the lenses were extracted and subjected to histological inspection. In a normal specimen one evaluated the structure and histochemical methods were used for defining the content and distribution of the DNA and RNA and also for the presence of lead deposits. The lens specimen of the contaminated chicken showed deposits of lead, a considerable diversity of the size of cellular nuclei, an irregularity of distribution of the nucleic acids. There were no such signs in the control group.