TISSUES OF THE CONNECTIVE SUBSTANCE. 249 



The remainder were allowed to develop in blood whose proportion 

 of fat had been previously determined, and after a certain time 

 they were killed and analyzed. He found in them from 7 to 19 

 times as much fat as the maggots first analyzed and the blood 

 together contained. 



While, then, in view of this experiment, the question of the 

 formation of fat from proteids can hardly be disputed, we do not 

 yet know the maximum amount of fat formed from the proteids 

 nor the chemical processes concerned in its formation. DRECHSEL, 

 mindful of the products which are formed by the decomposition of 

 albumin with barium hydrate, has called attention to the fact that 

 the albumin molecule probably originally contains no radical with 

 more than six or nine carbon atoms. If fat is formed from albu- 

 min in the animal body, then, according to DRECHSEL, such forma- 

 tion is not a splitting off from the albumin, but rather a synthesis 

 from primarily-formed splitting products of albumin which are 

 deficient in carbon. 



The theory of the formation o fat from carbohydrates in the 

 animal body was first adopted by LIEBIG. This was combated for 

 some time, however, and until lately it was the general opinion that a 

 direct formation of fat from carbohydrates had not been proved, 

 and also that it was improbable. The undoubtedly great influence 

 which LIEBIG has shown the carbohydrates to exert on the forma- 

 tion of fat has been explained by C. Y. VOIT upon the assumption 

 that these carbohydrates are consumed instead of the fat absorbed 

 or formed from the albumins, and therefore have an action tending 

 to economize the fat. By means of a series of nutrition tests 

 with foods especially rich in carbohydrates, LA WES and GILBERT, 

 SOXHLET, TSCHERWINSKY, MEissL and STROMER (on pigs), B. 

 SCHULTZE, CHANIEWSKI, E. VOIT and C. LEHMANN (on geese), J. 

 MUNK and M. RUBBER (on dogs) apparently prove that a direct 

 formation of fat from carbohydrates does actually occur. The 

 processes by which this formation takes place are still unknown. 

 As the carbohydrates do not contain as complicated a molecule as 

 the fats, the formation of fat from carbohydrates must consist of a 

 synthesis, in which, the group CHOH is converted into CH 2 , a 

 reduction must also take place. 



When food contains an excess of fat, the superfluous amount is 



