50 METABOLISM OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC PHOSPHORUS. 



The amounts of ether-soluble matter present in the bones show 

 some very interesting results. Both when organic and inorganic 

 phosphorus were fed, the bones contained more ether-soluble matter 

 than the normal bones, evidently a case similar to the increased 

 percentage of ether-soluble material in the liver and presumably due 

 to the phosphorus fed. The bones of the .normal rabbits and of 

 those fed inorganic phosphorus show practically an equal amount of 

 total phosphorus, the figure for the rabbits fed organic phosphorus 

 being a little lower. The bones of the normally fed rabbits contain a 

 slightly higher percentage of ether-alcohol soluble phosphorus than 

 in the other cases. The conclusion is that feeding this large amount 

 of phosphorus has not materially affected the quantity of phosphorus 

 stored in the bones, nor has the form of that storage been appreci- 

 ably changed. There is 0.27 per cent of the total phosphorus as 

 ether-alcohol soluble phosphorus in the bones of the normal rabbits, 

 and 0.23 per cen in the other cases, but the difference, 0.04 per 

 cent, is not large enough to have any significance. In a matter of 

 this kind the age of the animal should be taken into account, for it 

 is known that there is less calcium phosphate and more carbonate in 

 the bones of old rabbits than in the bones of young ones; likewise, 

 less calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in the bones of starved 

 rabbits, as shown by Wellmann. 



On a fat-free, water-free basis the analysis of the bones, given in 

 Table IX, shows a slight variation in the ash content, the ash of 

 the rabbits fed organic phosphorus being slightly higher than that for 

 the bones of the rabbits fed inorganic phosphorus, which in turn is 

 higher than the normal. In regard to the calcium and magnesium, 

 the bones of the rabbits fed inorganic phosphorus contain the 

 smallest amount, while the highest percentage of calcium is present 

 in the normal bones. The total ash content in the cases of the 

 experimental rabbits was greater than in the normal rabbits. The 

 bones of the rabbits fed inorganic phosphorus show a higher phos- 

 phorus content than in the other cases; but the results as regards 

 ether-alcohol soluble phosphorus show little variation, the bones of 

 the normal rabbits containing the largest proportion and those of 

 the rabbits fed organic phosphorus the smallest proportion. 



TABLE IX. Analysis of bones calculated to a fat- and vmter-free basis. 



