STARVATION 105 



quotes some work of Loeb in which it was shown that cell disintegra- 

 tion first took place after the removal of certain important lipoids 

 (compare the work of Glikin and Stepp, p. 72). Schulz holds that the 

 premortal rise takes place even if the animal be given fat or carbo- 

 hydrate in sufficient amount to prevent loss of fat from the tissues. 

 Kaufmann (215), who repeated some of this work, found that rabbits 

 in a fasting condition die in three to four days with a persistently 

 high output of nitrogen, even if they be given oil. On the other hand, 

 when cane sugar was introduced the results obtained were much 

 more satisfactory. He was able to keep the animals alive for as long 

 as nineteen days with a constant decrease in the amount of nitrogen 

 excreted. 



The Capacity of the Starving Organism to deal with Injected 



Amino Acids. 



Some modern work has also been carried out on the power pos- 

 sessed by the fasting animal of retaining and breaking down amino 

 acids. Thus Hirsch (192) finds that the organism deals as usual with 

 amino acids after injection into the tissues. Later Brugsch and Hirsch 

 (78), working with a professional faster, found, so far as they could 

 judge, no increase in the amino acid excretion during hunger even 

 after the administration of comparatively large amounts of amino 

 acids ; on the contrary a retention of nitrogen might even occur when 

 amino acids were injected. 



