EFFECTS ON THE PANCREAS AND SALIVARY GLANDS 355 



In scurvy (deficiency of vitamin C), Sato and Nambu ('08) found pan- 

 creatic hemorrhages in but one out of 13 necropsies. Aschoff and Koch ('19) 

 observed no characteristic changes in the human pancreas. Hess ('20) found 

 no other reference to pancreatic lesions in scurvy. Bessesen ('23) found the 

 weight of the pancreas variable in scorbutic guinea pigs, but with no evident 

 tendency to atrophy. 



In thirst (aqueous inanition), Schuchardt ('47) found that in pigeons on dry 

 barley diet, with loss of 34 per cent in body weight, the pancreas apparently 

 lost 56 per cent. Similarly, Falck and Scheffer ('54) in a dog on dry diet, with 

 loss of 20 per cent in body weight, noted an apparent loss of 36 per cent in the 

 pancreas. 



Pernice and Scagliosi ('95a) studied the pancreas in a dog subjected to dry 

 diet, with loss of 24 per cent in body weight. The pancreas appeared grossly 

 atrophic. Microscopically there was hyperemia and gland cell atrophy, the 

 lighter zone being relatively increased and the granular zone sometimes indis- 

 tinct. The connective tissue stroma was slightly increased. 



In adult albino rats on a dry diet, Kudo ('21) found that in the acute thirst 

 series (with body loss of 36 per cent) the average loss in the weight of the 

 pancreas was 53 per cent, and about the same in the chronic thirst series (with 

 body loss of 52 per cent) (Table 9). In a rat on complete total inanition, with 

 body loss of 47 per cent, the pancreas lost 59 per cent. In a series of young 

 albino rats held at constant body weight by a relatively dry diet from age of 

 4 weeks for various periods, Kudo ('21a) found a progressive increase in the 

 weight of the pancreas from 16 to 46 per cent in the different groups (Table 10). 

 This indicates that during inanition in young rats the pancreas shows the same 

 persistent growth tendency as found in the other viscera. 



2. THE SALIVARY GLANDS 



Observations upon the changes in the salivary glands during inanition are 

 scarce. The few available data will be summarized briefly, and then reviewed 

 in detail under (.4) total inanition, and (B) partial inanition. 



Summary of the Effects on the Salivary Glands 



During total inanition (or on water only) the salivary glands of adults 

 undergo a marked atrophy, the loss of weight in these glands (at least during 

 experimental inanition in animals) being relatively greater than that of the 

 entire body. In the young, the salivary glands appear more resistant to inani- 

 tion and .in atrophic infants they may even increase in weight. 



Microscopically, the atrophy of the salivary glands during inanition is 

 found to be due to decrease in the parenchyma, the parotid gland cells presenting 

 the typical picture of atrophic degeneration. The loss is chiefly in the cyto- 

 plasm, which loses its characteristic granulation, undergoes cloudy swelling, 

 and later may present vacuolar or fatty degeneration. Traina claims that the 

 salivary epithelium (rabbit) contains normally a variably lipoidal content, 

 which, as in other glands, is unaffected by inanition. The nuclei are (as else- 

 where) relatively resistant, but may undergo pycnotic degeneration. 



