438 INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



Traina ('04) found that in starved rabbits the thyroid cells lose about 30 

 per cent of their initial volume, the loss being relatively greater in the cyto- 

 plasm than in the nucleus. The fat granules in the atrophic parenchyma cells 

 remain unchanged in number, position, form and size. 



Missiroli ('10, 'n, '12) described the thyroid structure in rabbits as cor- 

 related with the stages of digestion. When food is withheld, the colloid is no 

 longer eliminated, but accumulates and distends the thyroid follicles. In some 

 cases of prolonged fasting, the colloid is said to undergo "fatty degeneration." 

 In advanced stages of inanition, the cells atrophy and the interstitial connective 

 tissue appears increased. Upon refeeding, the accumulated colloid is rapidly 

 eliminated. Missiroli also found a hypofunctional condition of the thyroid 

 in fasting dogs, with restitution upon refeeding with egg albumin (but not with 

 sugar or butter fat). 



Mrs. Thompson ('11) described marked changes in the thyroid gland of a 

 dog starved a few days, which "seems to make the structure of the gland 

 tend towards that of the parathyroid," but it is doubtful whether the changes 

 were due to the brief inanition. Vincent ('12) also figured and described the 

 changes in the thyroid of a starved dog. Gans ('15) reported negative findings 

 in the thyroid and parathyroid glands of malnourished puppies. Rondoni 

 and Montagnani ('15) likewise found no appreciable change in the histological 

 structure of the thyroid gland in fasting guinea pigs. 



Jackson ('15) in adult albino rats on acute inanition (water only), with 

 average loss of ^^ per cent in body weight, found no apparent loss in the weight 

 of the thyroid glands; while in the chronic inanition series, with loss of 36 per 

 cent in body weight, the thyroid loss was 22 per cent. In young albino rats 

 underfed at constant body weight from 3 to 10 weeks of age, Jackson ('15a) 

 found a loss of 24 per cent in the thyroid; and a loss of 62 per cent in those 

 similarly underfed from 10 weeks to 10 months of age (Table 4). Stewart 

 ('18, '19) in newborn albino rats underfed for various periods found the thyroid 

 glands slightly (4-8 per cent) above normal weight; but Barry ('20, '21) 

 found the thyroid 29 per cent subnormal in weight in the stunted offspring of 

 severely underfed pregnant albino rats (Table 4). It thus appears that at no 

 stage does the thyroid gland during inanition present the persistent growth 

 tendency which is found in most of the other viscera, excepting the thymus 

 and lungs. 



In young rats fully refed after underfeeding (at maintenance) from 3 to 1 2 

 weeks of age, Stewart ('16) found the thyroid glands increased in weight 

 though apparently not fully recovered in four weeks. In rats underfed from 

 birth to 3, 6 or 10 weeks and then refed to 25, 50 or 75 g., Jackson and Stewart 

 ('19) found the thyroid slightly subnormal at first, but nearly normal later 

 (Table 7). In rats severely underfed from birth or 3 weeks of age, and later 

 refed to maximum (adult) body weight, Jackson and Stewart ('20) found the 

 thyroid gland variable in weight, either above or below normal (Table 8). 

 The thyroid gland normally appears quite variable in weight in the rat, and 

 difficulties in the dissection technique render conclusions still more uncertain. 

 Thus Vincent and Hollenberg ('21) from a few observations found an apparent 



