PARENTERAL FEEDING WITH FAT 513 



glycogen there may be found in the urine a body similar to 

 achroodextrin. 87 Soluble starch appears in the urine if 

 injected rapidly but does not appear if gradually introduced ; 

 it evidently undergoes conversion into sugar in the blood. 88 

 Parenteral Feeding with Fat. Finally what of paren- 

 teral nutrition by fat! It has been stated in connection 

 with the discussion of fat metabolism that the subcutaneous 

 introduction of fat as a nutrient as recommended by Leube 

 has not been approved in practice, and cannot be maintained, 

 because it turns out that olive oil, introduced drop by drop, 

 is absorbed from the subcutaneous tissue so very gradually, 

 that only a few grams can be absorbed in the course of a 

 day. 89 However it appears that these failures have been 

 due entirely to the faulty methods of introduction. Intra- 

 peritoneal absorption of injected fats takes place very rap- 

 idly in man and the lower animals ; and it may be added that 

 the oil injections have a less irritative effect than either 

 sugar- or protein-solutions. 90 However even from the sub- 

 cutaneous tissue resorption of oil takes place when it is emul- 

 sified with lecithin and water, apparently rapidly enough for 

 the economy to obtain in this way at times from half to three- 

 fourths of its required calories. 91 It is quite likely that 

 medical practice of the future will have to reckon with these 

 hitherto insufficiently regarded subjects. 



88 F. Verzar (TangFs Lab.), Biochem. Zeitschr., 34, 66, 1911. 



89 H. Winternitz, Zeitschr. f . klin. Med., 50, 80, 1903 ; Yandell Henderson 

 and E. F. Crofutt, Amer. Jour, of Physiol., 14, 193, 1905; E. Heilner, Zeitschr. 

 f. Biol., 54, 54, 1910. 



80 A. Schmidt and H. Meyer, 1. c. 



91 L. H. Mills, Arch. int. Med., 7, 694, 1911, cited in Centralbl. f. d. ges. Biol., 

 1911, No. 2902. 



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