896 



METABOLISM. 



MUNK observed, in CEirf s case, an increase in the elimination of 

 phosphoric acid in relation to the ^-elimination, which indicates an 

 increased decomposition of bone-substance, and this explanation is 

 supported by the fact that a simultaneous increase in the elimination of 

 lime and magnesia occurs. Recently WELLMANN 1 showed that in rabbits, 

 the increase in the elimination of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium 

 in starvation corresponds to the loss in the bones of these constituents. 



The question as to the participation of the different organs in the loss 

 of weight of the body during starvation is of special interest. In elucida- 

 tion of this point we give the following results of CHOSSAT'S experiments 

 on pigeons, and those of VOIT 2 on a male cat. The results are percentages 

 of weight lost from the original weight of the organ. 



Pigeon (CHOSSAT). Male Cat (Vorr). 



Adipose tissue 93 per cent. 97 per cent. 



Spleen 71 67 



Pancreas 64 17 



Liver 52 54 



Heart 45 3 



Intestine 42 18 



Muscles 42 31 



Testicles 40 



Skin 33 21 



Kidneys 32 26 



Lungs 22 18 



Bones 17 4 



Nervous system 2 3 



The total quantity of blood, as well as the quantity of solids contained 

 therein, decreases, as PANUM and others 3 have shown, in the same pro- 

 portion as the weight of the body. Concerning the loss of water by 

 different organs authorities disagree, LuKjANOw 4 claiming that the 

 various organs differ from each other in this respect. 



The above-tabulated results cannot serve as a measure of the metabol- 

 ism in the various organs during starvation. For instance, the nervous 

 system shows only a small loss of weight as compared with the other 

 organs, but from this it must not be concluded that the exchange of 

 material in this system of organs is least active. The conditions may be 

 quite different; for one organ may derive its nutriment during starva- 

 tion from some other organ and exist at its expense. A positive con- 

 clusion cannot be drawn in regard to the activity of the metabolism in 

 an organ from the loss of weight of that organ in starvation. Death 

 by starvation is not the result of the death of all the organs of the body, 



1 Munk, Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 1887; Wellmann, Pfluger's Arch., 121. 



2 Cited from Voit in Hermann's Handbuch, 6, Part I, 96 and 97. 



3 Panum, Virchow's Arch., 29; London, Arch. d. scienc. biol. de St. P^tersbouig, 4. 



4 Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 13. 



