448 



VICTOR C. MYERS 



For the different lipoid constituents the following statements may 

 be made : 



Total Fat (Plasma Lipoids). Normally the "total fat" content of the 

 blood plasma amounts to 0.6 to 0.7 per cent, but in severe diabetes figures 

 as high as 26 per cent have been observed. In diabetic cases of ordinary 

 severity, however, the figures amount to about 1.5 per cent. Nephritics 

 frequently show a moderately increased fat although the figures rarely 

 reach 1 per cent. 



Lecithin. The normal figures for lecithin may be given in round num- 

 bers as 0.2 per cent for the plasma, 0.3 per cent for whole blood and 0.4 

 per cent for the corpuscles. In diabetes there is an increase in the lecithin 

 of both the corpuscles and the plasma, although in severe lipemia it is 

 more noticeable in the latter. In anemia the lecithin of the plasma in 

 particular is lowered, while in nephritis there is a noteworthy increase in 

 the corpuscles. 



Cholesterol. With the method of Bloor comparatively high figures for 

 cholesterol are obtained, normals of 0.20 to 0.24 per cent on whole blood, 

 with slightly higher figures for the plasma. Figures for whole blood ob- 

 tained with most of the other methods described in the literature are 0.14 

 to 0.17 per cent for normal individuals. Figures obtained with Bloor's 

 most recent method are probably too high. The distribution of cholesterol 

 in blood is well illustrated in the following table taken from Grigaut, 

 who was the first to suggest and use a colorimetric method for the estima- 

 tion of cholesterol. 



In. general it may be stated that hypercholesterolemia is found in 

 arteriosclerosis, nephritis, diabetes (especially with acidosis), obstructive 

 jaundice, in many cases of cholelithiasis, in certain skin diseases, in the 

 early stages of malignant tumors, and in pregnancy. The chief condi- 

 tion in which low values are found is anemia. 



