FAT AND MITOCHONDRIA IX CARDIAC MUSCLE 



19 



TABLE 8 

 Surklinc) a)ii»wh, fetnsei^, tim yming children 



PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NEUTRAL FAT IN CARDIAC 



MUSCLE 



From the experimental observations just recorded the concUi- 

 sion seems justified that the appearance of visible fat in cardiac 

 muscle fibers is not per se to be regarded as evidence of disturbed 

 cell metabolism or any other pathological change. Under nor- 

 mal physiological conditions the myocardial fibers of rats contain 

 a somewhat variable, but usually moderate, amount of neutral 

 fat in the form of droplets (fig. 3). When the animal is starved 

 the quantity of fat in the heart muscle is markedly diminished 

 even to complete disappearance (fig. 1). When the animal is fed 



