618 FEVER 



pendently of any lowering of the temperature. 23 In sepsis 

 in spite of a low grade of fever a marked protein disin- 

 tegration may be noticeable. The hyperthermia alone is 

 therefore not sufficient to explain the exaggerated nitrogen 

 elimination in fever to say the least. 



The resorption of inflammatory exudates is no better 

 adapted to furnish a complete explanation. 



A very important factor unquestionably is to be recog- 

 nized in the toxogenic protein decomposition occurring in 

 infectious diseases, associated with the development of 

 lesions of the tissue cells from disease poisons. But even 

 this explanation is not sufficient in all cases; thus, for ex- 

 ample, it does not hold for the protein destruction which 

 accompanies the heat puncture (puncture into the corpus 

 striatum). It is obvious that we are not to confuse an 

 increased breakdown of protein with an increase of oxida- 

 tion, as has been sometimes done. In fact even a reduction 

 in the processes of oxidation from lack of oxygen may lead 

 to an increased protein destruction. 



Inhibition of Febrile Protein Destruction by Increasing 

 Carbohydrate Food. Many authors are inclined to em- 

 phasize the feature of inanition in febrile protein destruc- 

 tion. Thus F. Voit found that the protein breakdown after 

 superheating may be decidedly repressed by free exhibition 

 of non-nitrogenous food, and May was able to lower the 

 nitrogen elimination even more decidedly in febrile animals 

 by injecting solutions of sugar than in starving animals. 

 v. Leyden and Klemperer 24 have attempted to do away 

 with tissue destruction in febrile human beings by full nour- 

 ishment, and have called attention in this connection to the 

 fact that two liters of milk with an additional ten per cent, 

 of milk sugar, with a calory equivalent of more than 2000, 

 are sufficient to approximately cover the daily nutritive re- 



P. Deucher (Sahli's Clinic, Berne), Zeitschr. f. klin. Med., 57, 429, 1905. 

 M v. Leyden and Klemperer, v. Leyden's Handb. d. Ernahrung, 2, 345, 1904. 



