METABOLISM. 



The first substances to disappear, as may well be supposed, are those which 

 are least essential to the maintenance of life, and we find accordingly that the 

 adipose tissue first begins to lose weight. Finally, at the end of starvation, 

 90 per cent., or more, of the fats of the body (except the fatty substances 

 which are found in the nervous system) have disappeared. At the same time 

 the glycogen which may have been stored in the liver and muscles also 

 begins to disappear ; but it is a long while, in some animals, before the last 

 traces of it are used up, especially the glycogen of muscle. Certain of the 

 organs especially become diminished in weight. Among these the first to 

 show a falling off are the spleen and the glandular organs, especially those 

 concerned in digestion. Since there is very little secretion going on, these are 

 not called upon to exercise their normal functions. Next follows marked 

 diminution in the amount of the musculaf substance, and this it is, no doubt, 

 which accounts for the muscular weakness which manifests itself. When all 

 the less essential organs have contributed as much as appears possible to the 

 maintenance of the normal condition of the blood, in order that it may suffi- 

 ciently nourish the most essential tissues, the latter, namely, the heart and 

 those of the nervous system, might next be expected to contribute their 

 quota. Apparently, as soon as this call is made, they fail to respond to it, 

 and the result is that death speedily supervenes. 



Voit gives the following percentage loss for the several tissues and organs 

 in a cat killed after thirteen days' deprivation of food : 



Adipose tissue 



Spleen . 



Liver 



Testes . 



Muscles . 



Blood . 



Kidneys . 



Integument 



Lungs 



Intestines 



Pancreas 



Bones 



Heart . 



Central nervous system 



In 100 Parts of 

 Fresh Organs. 



. 97 



. 67 



. 54 



. 40 



. 31 



. 27 



. 26 



. 21 



. 18 



. 18 



. 17 



. 14 



3 



3 



In 100 Parts of 

 Dry Organs. 



63 

 57 



30 



18 

 21 



19 



Tominaga l has determined (by Kjehldal's method) the amount of N lost 

 from the several organs during a prolonged starvation period in rats and 

 rabbits, as follows : 



The discrepancies in these results, both as compared with one another and 

 as compared with the loss in the dry organs as determined by Voit, are so con- 

 siderable, that they cannot be accepted without confirmation. 



1 OentralbLf. Physiol., Leipzig u. Wien, 1893, Bd. vii. S. 381. 



