174 



INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



involve cell atrophy with progressive chromatolysis (of the Nissl substance), 

 neurofibrillar degeneration, cytoplasmic vacuolation, rarely nuclear degenera- 

 tion. "Steatosis" is not characteristic. Only slight changes appear in the 

 brain cells during hibernation. In the young during inanition the normal 

 developmental changes in the brain are largely arrested, but the degenerative 

 changes are less conspicuous than in the adult. 



In the various forms of partial inanition, the structural changes of the brain 

 in general resemble those described for total inanition, including a variable 

 degree of congestion and of atrophic degeneration in the nerve cells. The 

 changes are especially marked in beriberi, with the associated phenomena of 

 paralysis; likewise in insane pellagrins, frequently involving karyorrhexis and 

 complete cell disintegration. Sclerosis due to glial proliferation is more frequent 

 than in total inanition. Hemorrhages occur in scurvy and beriberi. In general, 

 it may be noted that the lesions of the nerve cells during the various types of 

 inanition are not specific in character, but closely resemble those produced by 

 toxic and other injurious agents. 



It is a remarkable fact that although the brain appears relatively resistant to 

 the effects of inanition in general, it is, as pointed out by Clark ('23), more sus- 

 ceptible than any other tissue to the effects of oxygen deficiency. 



(A) Effects of Total Inanition, or on Water Only 



Under this heading will be included the effects upon the brain, human and 

 infrahuman, adult and young, as to (1) weight and (2) structure. 



1 . Effects on Brain Weight. — In the human adult, it has long been known 

 that the brain is very resistant to inanition in general (Rokitansky '54), but 

 exact quantitative data appear relatively scanty. Von Bischoff ('64) stated 

 that during emaciation the brain does not share the loss in body weight, at least 

 not to the same degree. 



Porter ('85— '87, '89) published average weights of the adult brain found in 

 autopsies upon victims of the Madras famine of 1877-78, as shown in the 

 accompanying table. 



Brain Weights in Victims of the Madras Famine (Porter '89) 



This table would indicate in the extreme cases an apparent loss of about 9.8 per 

 cent in the brain weight of the men, and 8.1 per cent for the women. All of these 



