THE FORMATION OF FAT IN THE ANIMAL BODY. 185 



Gilbert, however, could not be so easily set aside. They fed 9 i)igs for 8 

 to 10 weeks with different rations, and on slaughtering them determined 

 the gains in flesh and fat. In 3 cases the fat and protein of the food was 

 sufticient to account for the gains in fat; and this was tbe case when 

 the ration contained the greatest amount of protein. In 4 other cases, 

 when the amount of protein consumed was not so great, on an average 

 21) per cent of the fat accumulated could not be accounted for by the 

 protein and fat in tbe ration, and must have been derived from carbo- 

 hydrates. And again, in li cases, namely, those in which the most fat 

 was accumulated and the least protein was fed, and the ratio of protein 

 to nitrogen-free nutrients was that which experience has shown to be 

 the most desirable, there was 37 i)er cent of fat which could have been 

 formed only from carbohydrates. Voit could not deny that these experi- 

 ments of Lawes and Gilbert indicated that carbohydrates were con- 

 cerned in the formation of fat, and indeed these experiments opened up 

 a new line of thought, the outcome being that the old idea of Liebig 

 which Voit had opposed was held more firmly than ever. 



From experiments made by Yoit, Ssubotin, EadziejeM'sky, and Hoff- 

 man (which will be considered in detail later), Weiske,' believing that 

 the formation of fat from protein by Carnivora was proved, undertook, 

 in conjunction with E. Wildt, an experiment with pigs. The exi^eri- 

 ment was begun with 2 animals, but 1 soon died. The ration fed 

 consisted of starch, bran, and potatoes. It was found that the small 

 amount of protein contained in tins ration was sufficient for the forma- 

 tion of fat. However, these experiments were very justly criticised. 

 The grounds of the criticism will be considered in another place. 



Eadziejewsky, Ssubotin, Hofi'man, and others endeavored to solve 

 the problem as to whether the fat of the food was really transferred to 

 the fat cells of the body. Up to this time this was the ordinarily 

 accepted belief 



Eadziejewsky- fed a dog with erucin, the glycerid of ereucic acid, 

 but could find only very small quantities of it in the tissues. Subbotiu^ 

 fed a dog spermaceti and found none at all in the fat cells and only 

 traces in the intestinal fat and internal organs. He therefore concluded 

 that in the case of Carnivora the fat of the food did not pass directly 

 into the fat ceils of the body. 



Instead of erucin and si)ermaceti Hoffman* fed a dog bacon, which 

 contains a fat normally i)resent in the animal body, and obtained 

 results just the opposite of those of Eadziejewsky and Ssubotin. The 

 amount of fat found by him in the dog's body was much greater than 

 could have been possibly formed from protein, and it was proved that 

 the fat of the food passed directly into the cell tissues. 



iZtschr. Biol., 10 (1«64), p. 1. 



'Ceutbl. med. "VVissensch., 1866, No. 23, p. 353; Virchow's Arch, path Anat. und 

 Physiol., 43, p. 268. 



3Zt8chr. Biol., 6 (1870), p. 73. 

 ^Ztschr. Biol., 8 (1872), p. 153. 



