102 C. M. JACKSON 



STOMACH AND INTESTINES 



The stomach and mtestines (including mesentery and pan- 

 creas) together with their content (table 3) form an average of 

 about 5.2 per cent of the body weight in the acute inanition 

 series, and 6.3 per cent in the chronic inanition series. Since 

 the average normal for the initial body weights is about 9.0 

 per cent (Jackson '13), it is evident, as might be expected, that 

 the stomach and intestines with contents have lost weight in 

 relatively much greater proportion than has the body as a whole. 

 The loss affects not only the contents, but the empty tract, 

 which has apparently decreased from about 6.0 per cent (nor- 

 mal at the initial body weight) of the body weight to 3.25 per 

 cent (acute inanition series) or 3.5 per cent (chronic series). 

 There is apparently not much difference in this respect between 

 the chronic and acute series. A relatively small part of the loss 

 is in the mesenteric fat. 



In terms of absolute weight, taking Hatai's ('13) curve for 

 the normal, there is apparently a decrease in the weight of the 

 empty ahmentary canal from about 11.65 to 5.01 grams in the 

 acute inanition series, and from 10.70 to 4.54 grams in the chronic 

 series. This would correspond to a loss of about 57 per cent in 

 each series. 



Data in the literature are very scarce concerning changes in 

 weight of the alimentary canal during inanition. According to 

 Falck ('54), the loss appears to be nearly proportional to that of 

 the entire body (relative weight increasing from 8.4 to 8.7 per 

 cent). This appears to be true also for the cat according to 

 Sedlmair ('99), although a much smaller loss was found by 

 Voit ('66). Unpublished data on a series of steers (Missouri 

 Agricultural Experiment Station) indicate that the relative 

 weight of the (empty) intestines (without fat) is variable, but 

 tends to be greater in thin than in fat animals. 



