THE FASTING KATABOLISM 



253 



338. Influence of previous protein feeding. The classic 

 experiments of Carl Voit 1 upon fasting dogs have shown that 

 the protein katabolism in the early days of fasting may vary 

 widely according to the amount of protein previously consumed. 

 When the fasting follows a high protein ration, the protein 

 katabolism on the first day of fasting may be relatively large, 

 but it soon falls to a comparatively low level which is approxi- 

 mately the same whatever the initial ration. This behavior is 

 well illustrated by the following results, all upon the same 

 animal, which have been fully confirmed by numerous sub- 

 sequent experiments. 



TABLE 32. PROTEIN KATABOLISM OF FASTING DOG VOIT 



Furthermore, the high protein katabolism which is observed 

 during the first two or three days of fasting after high protein 

 feeding is accompanied by a relatively smaller katabolism 

 of fat. Thus, in the first of the foregoing experiments respira- 

 tion trials were made on the second, fifth and eighth days with 

 the following results : 



1 Ztschr. Biol., 2 (1866), 307. 



2 Computed from Voit's figures for urea. 



