266 INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



l'atrophie sclereuse; si on renourrit l'animal, le follicule se repeuple en lympho- 

 cytes en peu temps et se reconstitue." 



In the lymphatic glands, Jolly ('14) found the changes during inanition less 

 marked than in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius (above noted). Two puppies 

 1 month old were given water only for periods of 6 and 8 days, respectively, 

 with 2 normal controls. The loss in body weight was 27.1 per cent; in the 

 cervical and popliteal ganglia, 41.3 per cent; mesenteric ganglia, 56.9 per cent; 

 thymus, 68.1 per cent; spleen, 73.5 per cent. In a rabbit of 6^ months, starved 

 7 days, the loss in body weight was 23.5 per cent; popliteal ganglia, 38.8 per cent; 

 vermiform appendix, 43.2 per cent; mesenteric ganglia, 52.5 per cent; spleen, 

 62.8 per cent; and thymus, 87.9 per cent. 



The histological changes correspond to the degree of loss in weight. The 

 lymphocytes become scarce, the reticulum distinct. The cortex of the lympha- 

 tic glands is less affected than the medulla. The follicles become smaller, and 

 persist long (as in the spleen), but finally disappear. The terminal lesion is a 

 sclerous atrophy. Cells containing blood-pigment, etc. occur in both lymph- 

 glands and spleen. Mitoses progressively diminish in number, but disappear 

 in only extreme stages. Other lymphoid organs, s ach as the vermiform appendix, 

 tonsils and bone marrow, are similarly affected. The effects are more marked 

 in the lympho-epithelial organs (thymus, bursa of Fabricius) than the lympho- 

 lymphatic (ganglia) or hemo-lymphatic (spleen, bone marrow). The effects 

 appear progressively greater in the following order: peripheral ganglia; tonsils; 

 mesenteric ganglia; bone marrow, appendix; spleen; bursa of Fabricius; thymus. 

 The lymphoid nuclei supply nitrogenous and phosphorized materials for the 

 starving organism (Jolly '24). 



Howell ('14) found that in dogs starved 48 hours the lymph shows but little 

 evidence of chyle-fat, and also a great decrease in the number of lymphocytes, in 

 comparison with the milky lymph an hour or two after feeding. 



Ikeda ('21, '22) studied rabbits in various stages of acute and chronic inani- 

 tion, and upon refeeding. During starvation the mesenteric and peripheral 

 lymph nodes, in addition to atrophy and fatty changes, show degenerative 

 changes in the parenchyma. The lymph follicles of the vermiform appendix, 

 besides the degenerative process, may show also regenerative activity, with 

 mitosis of the lymphocytes. In the mesenteric glands during inanition, there is 

 fat in the parenchyma, but not in the sinuses as extracellular fat. Animals with 

 well developed lymphatic system and richly lymphocytic blood are much more 

 resistant to inanition. Ikeda considers it probable that at a certain period of 

 inanition (related to the consumption of fat?) there is a vigorous demand for 

 lymphocytes, emphasized by an increased transport of lymphocytes from the 

 hemopoietic system into the blood, with compensatory regeneration in the 

 hemopoietic organs. 



The observations of Lefholz ('23) as to the relations between the diet and the 

 amount of lymphoid tissue will be mentioned later, under partial inanition. 



Hibernation. — The lymphatic glands in the hibernating hedgehog were 

 studied by Carlier ('92). The germinal centers become inactive, with but 

 few mitoses. The phagocytes become very numerous, occurring in the lymph- 

 sinuses and throughout the gland, excepting the germinal centers and the 



