CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY 



539 



TABLE to show the fcetal weight and amount of fcjetal glycogen in the second 

 half of pregnancy (rabbit). In the animal killed at the twenty-sixth day, 

 the pregnancy was abnormal, one fivtus being dead and the others J>adly 

 developed. In the last also the fu'tuses were unusually small. 



The amount of carbohydrate oxidised each day can l>e calculated 

 from Bohr's figures. The oxygen consumption for a foetus weighing 

 .'0 gm. is 0'14 c.c. per minute. This is sufficient to oxidise O'OOOIT 

 gm. of sugar, or 0/245 gm. per day, which is equal to 0*227 gm. of 

 glycogen. Hence for six foetuses, the average number, 1/362 gm. are 

 required for combustion each day. In addition, an average of 

 0'.'! gm. of glycogen is deposited in them daily near the end of 

 pregnancy. Hence the total daily requirement for the unborn young 

 at this stage is 1'662 gm. of glycogen. A small additional amount of 

 carbohydrate is required for the daily increasing bttood-flernin, for the 

 liquor amnii in the rabbit, and for the manufacture of mucin and 

 other glycoproteins. 



(d.) Ewretion of Carbohydrates in Pf-i/nfim-i/ -. f,'/i/rnsni-;,> n,,,l 

 Ladostu'in. Blot 1 was the first to postulate the <>r<-mn'iic<> of a 

 "physiological glycosuria" in pregnancy. Kirsten - found sugar in 

 the urine in the majority of cases of pregnancy and labour, and 

 regularly in the puerperium. Hofmeister 3 first discussc-d tin- 

 relationship of the glycosuria to milk secretion, and proved that 

 the sugar excreted in the puerperium was lactose. 4 The sugar is 

 in extremely small amounts, but al*>ve the normal. Lemaire 5 found 



1 Blot, "De la glycosurie physiologique chez les femiues en couches, etc.," 

 < '"n,f>t. R- ml. Si,,-. Itiol.. vol. xliii., 1836. 



- Kirsten, " Ueber das Vorkommen von Zucker iiu Hani <lri Schwangei-en," 

 M<>init*.--},,-. f. <;,'!, >i,-t*l,. . /'raiiriiki-tiHM., vol. ix., 18">7. 



:: Hofmeister, "Ueber J^ktosurie," Zeitock. f. pkytul, <'/'>., vol. i., 1877. 



4 Corroborated by Kaltenbach (" Die Laktosm i- dci \V.'.. Imerinnen," / 

 /'. <;>-lmrtsh. it. (>'yn<H:, vol. iv.) and many othrr-. 



5 Lemaire, "Ueber das Vorkommen von Milchzucker," /.> It*-!,, f. /<////./../. 

 ., vol. xxi., 1895. 



