10 METABOLISM OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC PHOSPHORUS. 



together with sodium phosphate. The amount of food given was 

 calculated according to the following formula: (^/Body weight) 2 . 

 One dog which was fed on egg yolk died, the histological section 

 showing that death was due to pneumonia. There was no difference 

 in the appearance of the dogs and all grew equally well. The marrow 

 of the bones of the dogs fed on egg yolk was yellow and richer in fat, 

 while the marrow of the bones of the plasfnon-fed dogs was red and 

 richer in blood but poorer in fat. On aging, the red marrow became 

 yellow, proving that the dogs which were fed with egg yolk made 

 more progress. 



The same experiment was tried with four guinea pigs and one of 

 those fed on egg yolk died of pneumonia in three months. The pigs 

 so fed also showed fatty livers, which weighed more than the other 

 livers. The increase in weight was greater in the case of the pigs fed 

 on egg yolk than in the case of those which were fed plasmon. In 

 all cases the phosphorus content of the brain was the same. 



The general conclusion was that the growth of nitrogenous tissue 

 is facilitated if phosphorus is ingested in the form of egg 3 r olk; that 

 is, in organic form. The daily amount of phosphorus needed by the 

 average man, according to Siven, a is from 0.7 to 0.8 gram, and 

 according to Ehrstrom, 6 from 1 to 2 grams. He states that phos- 

 phorus is necessary for the proper nourishment of the bones, nervous 

 system, body proteins and cells, and that the body strives to retain 

 the phosphates more than other salts. Other investigations along 

 this line were carried out by Tigerstedt, c Renvall, d and Schlossmann. e 



Slowtzoff/ in studying the action of lecithin on metabolism, found 

 a plus nitrogen balance accompanied by a diminished excretion of 

 phosphorus and also of purin bases. Where the nitrogen balance 

 was minus, the case could be otherwise explained. 



Loewi^ investigated the metabolism of nucleins. He experimented 

 on himself and found that a part of the nuclein was split in the 

 intestine, the phosphorus of the split portion going into the feces, 

 while the nitrogen was absorbed. The part not split was nearly all 

 absorbed and consequently the phosphorus remained in organic com- 

 bination. It is possible by nuclein feeding to bring the body into 

 the same nitrogen and phosphoric-acid relation as exists in the 

 nucleins themselves, since nuclein ingestion increases the retention 

 of nitrogen and slightly increases that of the phosphorus. 



aSkand. Arch. Physiol., 1901, 11 : 308. 



*> Ibid., 1903, 14 : 82. 



c Ibid., 1904, 16 : 67. 



dlbid., 1904, 16: 94. 



eArch. Kinderheilk., 1905, 40 : 1. 



/Beitr. chem. Physiol. Path., 1906, 8 : 370. 



9 Arch, exper. Path. Pharm., 1900, 44 : 1; 1901, 45 : 157. 



