EFFECTS OF INANITION UPON ORGANS OF RAT 103 



SUPRARENAL GLANDS 



The suprarenal glands must be considered separately in the 

 sexes on account of a difference in relative weight (Jackson ^13). 

 In normal rats corresponding to the initial body weights of the 

 present series, the average for the suprarenal glands of the male 

 is about 0.17 per cent of the body weight, and for the female 

 about 0.26 per cent. The four females of the acute inanition 

 series (none present in the chronic series) show an average of 

 0.30 per cent of the body weight (table 3), but the number is 

 too 'small for definite conclusions. The males show an increase 

 (from 0.17 per cent) to an average of 0.25 per cent in both acute 

 and chronic inanition series (table 3). It would therefore ap- 

 pear that the loss in absolute weight has been less than in the 

 body as a whole in the female with little or no loss in the male. 



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

 the normal, it appears that in the male rat the suprarenals have 

 increased from about 0.0390 to 0.0396 grams (gain of 1.5 per 

 cent) in the acute inanition series; and decreased from about 

 0.0360 to 0.0328 grams (loss of 8.9 per cent) in the chronic 

 series. The apparent increase during acute inanition is prob- 

 ably not significant. A larger number of observations is necessary 

 to determine the matter. 



No data concerning the weight of the suprarenal glands dur- 

 ing inanition have been found in the literature, although Traina 

 ('04) cites several investigations on the histological changes. 



KIDNEYS 



The kidneys (table 3) in the acute inanition series form an 

 average of 0.97 per cent of the body weight and in the chronic 

 series 1.00 per cent. According to Jackson ('13) the normal 

 for the initial body w^eights would average about 0.95 per cent 

 (although Hatai's data would place it at about 0.84 per cent). 

 It therefore appears that the kidneys have lost weight to nearly 

 the same extent relatively as the body in general, thus gaining 

 but slightly in relative (percentage) weight. 



