EFFECTS OF INANITION ON THE BODY AS A WHOLE 115 



from 36-72 hours for travelers lost in a desert to 18 days in the case of Viterbi 

 (an Italian political prisoner) on total inanition. As previously stated, the 

 period of duration during inanition is greatly extended when water is available. 

 Marriott ('23) states that during the development of anhydremia the loss in body 

 weight is more rapid than that observed in any other condition, reaching 10-25 

 per cent in one or two days. He also cites the observations by King and 

 McGee as to the effects of desert thirst on man. 



Rosenfeld ('86) held that Oertel's obesity cure, which involves a restriction 

 of the liquids in the diet, is dangerous on account of producing lesions in the 

 kidneys, heart and nervous system. 



Among lower animals, Falck and Scheffer ('54) observed a duration of 4 

 weeks in the dog on dry biscuit; while Pernice and Scagliosi ('95a) noted death 

 after n days in a dog on dry bread, and after 8-10 days in young chicks on dry 

 maize. Bowin ('80) found that both dogs and rabbits die in about 23 days 

 on dry diet. Nothwang ('91) observed death from thirst in pigeons at an aver- 

 age of 4}4 days. Kudo ('21) kept adult albino rats on dry diet 6-7 days, 

 while on total inanition one survived n days. With variable amounts of 

 liquid (milk) added to the diet, the duration period was correspondingly 

 lengthened. 



The loss in body weight observed during thirst is also variable, but is usu- 

 ally marked, with great emaciation, as in total inanition. According to Loren- 

 zen ('87) a relatively dry diet is very effective in reducing the amount of fat in 

 man, a principle used in the "reducing" diet of Oertel and others. As pre- 

 viously mentioned, Prochownick's diet (for reducing fetal size) is low in water 

 content as well as in carbohydrates. 



Chossat ('43) noted a loss of 35 per cent in the body weight of frogs subjected 

 to evaporation. The losses recorded before death on dry diet in other animals 

 are as follows: Schuchardt ('47), 44 per cent in pigeons; Falck and Scheffer- 

 ('54), 20 per cent in a dog; Bowin ('80), 50 per cent in rabbits, somewhat less in 

 dogs; Skoritschenko (JSt,), very irregular loss in rabbits; Pernice and Scagliosi 

 ('95a), 24 per cent in a dog, 34-41 per cent in young chicks; Maurel ('04, '04a), 

 30 per cent in adult guinea pigs; Kudo ('21), 36 to 51 per cent average in adult 

 albino rats (Table 9). 



The importance of water in growth has been emphasized by Davenport 

 ('97, '99). It is frequently stated that the water content of living organisms 

 can be modified experimentally to only a very limited extent; but this is not 

 supported by the experiments of Hall ('22), who subjected various animals to 

 exsiccation in a dry chamber, without food (excepting the mice, which were 

 fed dry corn and oats). Subsequent recovery was obtained in all cases by 

 giving water. The periods of exsiccation and the losses in body weight and in 

 water content are shown in the accompanying table (p. 116). 



In human infants, O. and W. Heubner ('10) stated that lack of water in the 

 diet may cause inhibition of growth, at least in weight. Similarly, Meyer 

 ('13) found that upon a diet of concentrated "Eiweissmilch," the growth of 

 healthy infants was retarded, with prompt recovery upon the addition of merely 

 aqua destiUata. Meier ('21) noted that the lack of water in breast-fed infants 



