Diseases of metabolism and of the blood : animal parasites, toxicology / ed. by Richard C. Cabot ... An authorized translation from "Die deutsche klinik" under the general editorial supervision of Julius L. Salinger, M. D. With one colored plate and fifty-eight illustrations in the text.

Cabot, Richard C. (Richard Clarke), 1868-1939

Date:: 1906

Credit: Diseases of metabolism and of the blood : animal parasites, toxicology / ed. by Richard C. Cabot ... An authorized translation from "Die deutsche klinik" under the general editorial supervision of Julius L. Salinger, M. D. With one colored plate and fifty-eight illustrations in the text. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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$But the enormous amount of X-retention in the forced feeding investi- gations of Lüthje makes us hesitate to believe that the total amount of nitrogen retained is really deposited as albumin, especially as we should be forced to assume at the same time that the reserved albumin is deposited together with a quantity of water, such as corresponds to the usual relation between albumin and water in the cellular elements of the body (one gram of N = 6.25 grams, albumin = 29.4 grams of flesh). According to this we should have to suppose that the X-retention of 149.61 grams X, which was attained by Lüthje within Twenty-six days, corre- sponded to an albumin deposition of 935.06 grams of albumin, or a flesh deposition of 4,398.53 grams. The increase in the body-weight of the person experimented on amounted to 6,070 grams during this time. If we estimate the flesh accumulation from the X-reteiit ion. more than two-thirds of the increase in body-weight (4,398 grams) must have been due to flesh deposi- tion. The considerable calory excess contained in the administration of food in the days in question certainly must have resulted in a deposition of fat. The amount of this Lüthje calculates in the usual manner; from the total calory excess during the entire period (29.656 calories) he deducts the calory value of the albumin which has accumulated (935.06 X 4.1), i.e., in round number 3,838 calories, and the remainder, amounting to 25.818 calo- ries, is ascribed to fat accumulation. Twenty-seven hundred and seventy-six grams of fat correspond to this energy value. The flesh accumulation of 4,398 grams, and a simultaneous fat deposition of 2,776 grams coincide very imperfectly with an increase in weight of only 6,070 grams. This may, however, be readily explained by the assumption that the body during the masting period lost a weight of water, corresponding to the difference ( 1,104 grams). In the feeding experiments of Krug, the same difference was noted. With an increase in weight of only 3,100 grams, the albumin accumulation of 1,455 grams calculated from the retained \. and the fat accumulation from the calory excess after deducting the albumin calory, amounted to 2,254 grams. Krug assumed without more ado that the body lost 609 grams of water. This assumption is certainly justifiable, and a decrease in water during forced feeding appeal-- quite plausible if we remember thai each increase of the albumin metabolism (for example, by a Large albumin meal) is soon fol- lowed by a decided excrelion of water. In 11iy opinion the assumption of so large a loss of water is, however, unnec- essary. In the previously mentioned calculation-, we have always proceeded on the assumption that the total calory excess of the food nol used to -tore up albumin musl be utilized in fat formation. It has. however, nol I o con- sidered thai an excess of food also invariably increases the total metabolism, and. it may now be supposed, increases this oul of proportion to the intestinal labor. A true luxury consumption of non-nitrogenous f I substances takes place. Only a portion of the superfluous food energy is utilized in accumu- lation; in man another portion, probably showing individual variation, under- goes combustion, and is utilized in heat production, the organism replying$