EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN l8l 



brain does not preserve its relatively high weight, but instead soon lags behind 

 in growth and appears below normal for corresponding body weight. As 

 mentioned in Chapter IV, such rats were found by Jackson and Stewart ('20) 

 to be permanently stunted in body weight. The brain weight in such dwarfed 

 adults was found to be still slightly below the normal for body weight. This 

 would seem to indicate that even though the brain grows persistently in weight 

 during periods of severe subnutrition, it is nevertheless injured in some way so 

 that it may not be able to recuperate fully when subsequently placed under 

 good conditions of nutrition. 



2. Effects on Brain Structure.— The effects of total inanition, or on water 

 only, upon the structure of the brain in human and infrahuman adult and 

 young will now be considered. 



Human Adult. — Aside from occasional references to meningeal congestion 

 or brain softening, no data concerning the effects of inanition upon the structure 

 of the human brain are given by the earlier observers. Rokitansky ('54) 

 stated that the nervous system, "so far as relates to its constituent elements, 

 remains exempt," even during extreme general atrophy of the body. Cyr ('69) 

 adopted Parrot's doctrine of an encephalic "steatosis" (to be mentioned later). 

 Bright ('77) found, in a case of human starvation, the brain apparently normal, 

 excepting a small tubercular area. 



Popow ('82, '85, '85a) appears to have been the first to report cytological 

 changes in the human brain cells, in a case of starvation from esophageal 

 stricture. Hemorrhagic extravasations, proliferation of the neuroglia and 

 connective tissue, atrophy and cloudy swelling of the ganglion cells were 

 observed. These changes were held to be the possible cause of the mental 

 disturbances observed in this case. As late as 1889, Filipi adhered to Parrot's 

 doctrine of encephalic steatosis, while Cohnheim stated that the tissue of the 

 central nervous system is but very slightly affected by inanition. 



Tarassewitsch ('98) described the histological changes in the brain of a 

 religious fanatic, aged 30 years, who died after 35 days of inanition. The 

 Purkinje cells of the cerebellum show slight chromatolysis. The cells of the 

 cerebral cortex present cytoplasmic vacuolation and pigmentation. The nuclei 

 are usually peripheral in position, and stain diffusely, but are rarely changed in 

 shape. Complete breaking down of the cells was not observed. The neu- 

 roglia appears loose in texture and the blood vessels congested. Dreyfuss ('06) 

 considered the changes produced by inanition in the nerve cells during insanity 

 as secondary in character. Agostini and Rossi (07) described vacuolization 

 of the nerve cells and changes in the neurofibrillae during inanition in the 

 insane. 



In a man who died of starvation, Meyer ('17) found the brain large 

 (1600 g.) and edematous. The cells of the cerebral cortex appear shrunken, 

 with wide pericellular spaces, and atrophy especially of the cytoplasm. In a 

 victim of the Russian famine, Hassin ('24) found no macroscopic abnormalities 

 in the brain and meninges. Microscopically some degenerative changes 

 appeared, especially an accumulation of lipoids in the ganglion cells, glia, and 

 blood vessels. 



