338 INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



of nutrition, and found them unchanged during starvation of 5 or 6 days 

 (rabbit). 



Rabe ('10) gave some data on glycogen changes in the liver of rabbits. 

 Stickel ('10) found the liver in starved puppies hyperemic; fat droplets in the 

 liver-cells are rare, but the Altmann granules usually more numerous. Fies- 

 singer ('11) reviewed in detail the liver-cell changes, including those during 

 inanition. He concluded that all recent studies agree that the hepatic cells 

 are much more granular during fasting than when well nourished, especially 

 on a carbohydrate diet. 



Morgulis ('n) measured the hepatic cells and nuclei in the starved salaman- 

 der (Diemyctylus viridescens) , and found that the total cell volume decreases 

 relatively more than the body weight. The nuclei change in form, but decrease 

 much less than the cytoplasm. Similar observations were made on the liver- 

 cells in young albino rats stunted by underfeeding. 



Rathery and Terroine ('13) found that in dogs fasting 26-28 days the 

 filamentous mitochondria of the liver-cells are replaced by irregular fuchsino- 

 phile granules. Fat granules are normally scarce, except after a rich, fatty 

 diet; but in a dog starved 68 days a marked increase in fat droplets of various 

 size was noted. Smirnow ('13) found a decided increase in fatty infiltration 

 of the liver in rabbits fasting 4 days or more without water; and to a lesser 

 extent after 10 days or more with water. Wegelin ('13) also made observa- 

 tions on the liver-fat in white rats fasting 2-8 days. 



Arnold ('14) reviewed the structural changes (especially in the granules 

 and mitochondria) in the liver during digestion, absorption and early inanition. 



Berg ('12) studied the liver-cells in Triton, mouse, rabbit and man during 

 fasting and various diets. He found after casein feeding certain characteristic 

 droplets interpreted as "gespeichertes Eiweiss," which disappear during fasting. 

 Berg ('13, '14) investigated further the changes in the liver-cells of the rabbit, 

 salamander, etc., with special reference to the changes in glycogen, fat and 

 protein content of the cells. "Es finden sich in den Leberzellen gut genahrter 

 Tiere in reichlicher Menge Tropfen, die bei Hungertieren volkommen fehlen, 

 und durch Eeiweissfiitterung, nicht aber durch Kohlenhydrat oder Fett- 

 fiitterung hervorzurufen sind." The conditions in the liver of the salamander 

 during fasting and refeeding were shown in further detail by Berg ('20, '22). 



Morgulis, Howe and Hawk ('15) noted vacuolar degeneration and a tendency 

 to formation of syncytia in the liver-cells of fasting dogs with loss of body 

 weight up to 50 per cent. Rothschild ('15) found an increase in the cholesterin 

 content of the liver, suprarenals and blood of rabbits starved 2-9 days. 



The changes observed by Jackson and coworkers in the weight of the liver 

 in the albino rat during various degrees of inanition are shown in Table 4. In 

 acute inanition of adults (on water only), Jackson ('15) observed a loss of 58 per 

 cent in liver weight, with loss of ^^ per cent in body weight. In chronic inani- 

 tion, with loss of 36 per cent in body weight, the average loss in liver weight, 

 was only 43 per cent. In young rats underfed from 3 weeks of age, Jackson 

 ('15a) found a slight increase (10 per cent) in liver weight, but a loss of 39 per 

 cent in those underfed for longer periods beginning at 10 weeks of age. In 



