534 TISSUES OF THE CONNECTIVE SUBSTANCES. 



been derived from the fat of the food. PETTENKOFER and VOIT arrived 

 at similar results in regard to the action of the absorbed fats in the organ- 

 ism, though their experiments were of another kind. MUNK found 

 that on feeding with free fatty acids, these are deposited in the tissues, 

 not, however, as such; but they are transforned by synthesis with gly- 

 cerin into neutral fats on their passage from the intestine into the thoracic 

 duct. The connection between the fat of the food and of the body has 

 also been shown by others, especially by ROSENFELD. CORONEDI and 

 MARCHETTI and in particular WINTERNITZ 1 have recently shown that 

 the iodized fat is taken up in the intestinal tract and deposited in the 

 various organs. 



Proteins and carbohydrates are considered as the mother-substances 

 of the fats formed in the organism. 



The formation of the so-called corpse-wax, adipocere, which consists 

 of a mixture of fatty acids, ammonia, and lime-soaps, from parts of the 

 corpse rich in proteins, is sometimes given as a proof of the formation 

 of fats from proteins. The accuracy of this view has, however, been dis- 

 puted, and many other explanations of the formation of this substance 

 have been offered. According to the experiments of KRATTER and 

 K. B. LEHMANN, it seems as if it were possible by experimental means to 

 convert animal tissue rich in proteins (muscles) into adipocere by the 

 continuous action of water. Irrespective of this, SALKOWSKI has shown 

 that in the formation of adipocere the fat itself takes part, in that the 

 olein decomposes with the formation of solid fatty acids, still it must 

 be considered that lower organisms undoubtedly take part in its forma- 

 tion. The production of adipocere as a proof of the formation of fat 

 from proteins is disputed by many investigators for this and other reasons. 



Fatty degeneration has been considered as another proof of the 

 formation of fat from proteins. From the investigations of BAUER on 

 dogs and LEO on frogs it was assumed that, at least in acute poisoning 

 by phosphorus, a fatty degeneration, with the formation of fat from 

 proteins, takes place. PFLUGER has raised such strong arguments against 

 the older researches as well as the more recent one of POLIMANTI, who 

 claims to have shown the formation of fat from proteins in phosphorus 

 poisoning, that we cannot consider the formation of fat as conclusively 

 proven. Recent investigations of ATHANASIU, TAYLOR, SCHWALBE,. 

 and others, especially of RosENFELD, 2 have shown that probably no new 



1 Coronedi arid Marchetti, cited by Winternitz, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 24. 

 A review of the literature on fat formation may be found in Rosenfeld, Fettbildung, 

 in Ergebnisse der Physiologic, 1, Abt. 1. 



2 Bauer, Zeitschr. f. Biologic, 7; Leo, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 9; Polimanti, 

 Pfliiger's Arch., 70; Pfliiger, ibid., 51 (literature on the formation of fat from protein) 

 and 71; Athanasiu, ibid., 74; Taylor, Journ. Exp. Medicine, 4; see also footnote 1, 

 p. 368. 



