Biochemistry. — " Rexenvchex on the Metabolism of Milch-coios 

 suj'eruui from Acetonemia" . By Prof. B. Sjoi,i,ema and Miss 

 J. E. VAM DKK Zanue. (Coiuiuiiiiicated by Prof. C. Eykman). 



(Communicated at the meeting of September 29, 1923). 



It does not iinfreciiieiitly happen iliat in milcli-cows acetonemia 

 reveals itself a few days after iiarliirilion. Tlien the animals become 

 extremely emaciated within a few days; the milk-yield decreases 

 considerably ; they give otf a smell of acetone and their appetite is 

 lai'gely diminished. As a rule they recover after a short time, and 

 very soon when put out to grass. The examination of the urine, 

 the blood and the milk of more than twenty milch-cows suffering 

 from typical acetonemia showed ns that the mine of these animals 

 often contained from 10 to 13 grms of acetone-bodie.s per liter. In 

 many cases tiie blood contained O.B — 1 grm of these substances per 

 liter, wliile the content in the milk was about half the amount in 

 the blood. These results point to an abnormal fat-metabolism, for 

 the acetone-bodies result mainly from abnormal metabolism of the 

 fats '), the alkali-reserve of the blooit was in serious cases lowered 

 to 7j or ' , of the normal value. The determination of the glucose- 

 content of the blood shows that hyperglycemia was absent. Sugar 

 was never found in the urine. So the sugar-metabolism .was in no 

 way abnormal. The acidosis, brought about by the acetone-bodies, 

 caused a rise of the calcium- and the ammonia-content of the urine. 

 The disturbed fat-metabolism, was not attended with lipemia. The 

 total content of lipoids and of fat in the blood was not or little 

 higher than normal. This rise was chiefly due to hypercholesterol- 

 emia. Instead of about 0,1 7. ^^^ found namely about 0,2 7» of 

 cholesterol in the blood-plasma. The lipoid-phosphoric acid did not 

 seem to have increased. 



Basing ourselves on the formula that expresses the border-value 



') Geelmuyden's hypothesis (Erg. d. Pliysiol. 1923), that acetone-bodies are normal 

 intermediate products from (lie conversion of fat into sugar, may be considered 

 highly debatable. 



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