58 Notes from the Physiological Laboratory 



vented. The second is that, owing to the dense cel- 

 lulose walls of the "gluten-cells," their contents are 

 practically unaffected by the digestive juices. The 

 fact that the presence of branny scales in the diges- 

 tive tract prevents the thorough digestion of the in- 

 testinal contents, and induces the passage of faeces 

 containing a considerable excess of undigested nitro- 

 genous matter, is fully attested by the observations 

 of Meyer and Rubner. 1 Edward Smith 2 has also 

 closely studied the economic phase of this subject, 

 and reports most unfavorably upon the use of 

 branny foods, stating that the diminished absorption 

 of nutritive matters, entailed by their use, more than 

 counterbalances the (apparent) gain in cheapness. 

 Of interest in this connection is the observation of 

 Fr. Hofmann, 3 who noted that the amount of fa3ces 

 passed upon a meat diet was remarkably increased 

 by the addition of cellulose to the food taken. 



The feeble response of the "gluten-cell" to re- 

 agents and digestive juices has been noted by several 

 observers. Thus Bonders 4 states that these bodies 

 are digested by the herbivora, but not by dogs or 



1 Zeitschrift f. Biologie, vol. vii., ibid., xix. 1883, p. 46. 



2 "Foods," 1875, p. 175. 



3 Yoit, Sitzgsber. d bayr. Acad., Dec. 18G9. 

 * Physiologic (German ed.), p. 273. 



