EFFECTS ON THE MUSCULATURE 1 63 



In hibernating animals, during the feeding period, there is a marked storage 

 of fat in the muscle, which serves as an important storehouse of fat and protein for 

 the organism during the subsequent fasting period. In the frog and the salmon 

 the musculature thus contributes largely to the materials for growth of the sex 

 glands during the fasting period. Similarly in all species the musculature during 

 inanition is apparently consumed to supply the needs of the more essential vital 

 organs of the body. 



In the various forms of partial inanition, atrophy and degeneration in the 

 skeletal musculature are frequently evident, especially in those conditions 

 involving general emaciation of the body, such as famine edema, pellagra, etc. 



In rickets, there is apparently a regressive dystrophy of the musculature, with 

 a slight progressive loss of its weight (in rats). In beriberi, there are found the 

 usual atrophic degenerative changes in the muscle fibers, with nuclear prolifera- 

 tion and interstitial fibrosis — a condition frequently resembling that of chronic 

 myositis. In scurvy, the muscles share in the general hemorrhagic condition, 

 but the fibers also independently undergo the typical atrophic degenerative 

 changes with interstitial fibrosis. 



In aqueous inanition (on dry diets), the skeletal musculature undergoes 

 atrophy with loss of weight and degenerative changes in the muscle fibers 

 resembling those in other forms of both total and partial inanition. The 

 intermuscular connective tissue may present a round cell infiltration, as in 

 rickets and scurvy, which does not ordinarily appear in total inanition. 



(^4) Effects of Total Inanition or on Water Only 



The effects of total inanition upon the skeletal musculature and the very 

 similar effects on water alone will be discussed (i) as to the gross changes, 

 especially in weight, and (2) as to the histological changes involved. 



Changes in Weight of the Musculature. — These changes may conveniently 

 be considered separately in the adult and in the young organism, human and 

 infrahuman. 



Adult Human. — The atrophy of the skeletal musculature during starvation 

 has often been observed, but quantitative data are lacking. Tiedemann ('36) 

 stated that: "Die Leichname Verhungerter fand man in hohem Grade abge- 

 magert, besonders waren die Muskeln sehr dunn, welk und leicht zerreissbar. " 

 Willien ('36) noted that especially the muscles of the trunk become atrophied 

 during inanition. Rokitansky ('54) concluded that in general the atrophy of 

 the musculature during malnutrition is relatively less than that of the blood, 

 adipose and areolar tissues, but greater than that of the viscera, nervous system 

 and skeleton. Falck ('81) noted that the muscles at autopsy appear "braun, 

 klebrig, atrophirt. " In a case of starvation with loss of about 40 per cent in 

 body weight, Bright ('77) observed that the musculature throughout appeared 

 wasted, especially that of the trunk, and entirely devoid of fat. Theile ('84) 

 recorded the weights of the various groups of muscles in both adults and children 

 in different conditions of nutrition. In a greatly emaciated man 31 years old, 

 it appears that the upper extremity muscles have lost relatively less than the 



