52 METABOLISM OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC PHOSPHORUS. 



5 and 6 (the normal rabbits) the livers formed 3 and 2.8 percent, re- 

 spectively, of the total weight of the rabbits, while in Nos. 1, 3, and 4 

 the liver weight made 6.0, 4.5, and 4.4 per cent of the body weight. 

 More total nitrogen and phosphorus is present in the livers of phos- 

 phorus-fed rabbits than in the normal livers, and calculated to a 

 fat-free basis the differences are more evident. The tendency of 

 organic phosphorus to produce fat is especially striking; in these ex- 

 periments an increased amount of ether-soluble matter is seen in the 

 bones, livers, brains, and nerves of the phosphorus-fed rabbits. 

 Jordan, Patten, and Hart, a in their experiments with phytin, state 

 that when the, cows were reduced from a high to a low phytin diet, 

 the percentage of fat in the milk was reduced. The fact that phytin 

 tends to the production of fat in various organs and secretions 

 seems to be established by all of these experiments. 



BLOOD. 



The figures for blood analysis are given on a water-free basis. The 

 amount of ash is highest in the blood of the rabbits -fed organic phos- 

 phorus. The blood of those fed inorganic phosphorus and of the nor- 

 mal rabbits contain about an equal amount of ash. The variations 

 are not large enough to be of any consequence when the individuality of 

 the different rabbits is considered. The calcium content of the blood 

 of all the phosphorus-fed rabbits is reduced, showing only a trace, 

 while 0.44 per cent of calcium is present in the dried blood of the nor- 

 mal rabbits. The same holds true in the case of the magnesium, 0.19 

 per cent being present in the dried blood of the normal rabbits and 

 none being found in the blood of the phosphorus-fed rabbits. The pre- 

 vailing belief is that the composition of the blood changes but little if 

 any, no matter what changes may take place in the body tissues. 

 Patterson b found, in the case of animals kept on a calcium-poor diet, 

 that the ratio of the calcium of the blood to the total ash of the blood 

 was the same as that of normal animals. The amount of total phos- 

 phorus present in the normal blood is somewhat lower than in the 

 cases where phosphorus was fed. The ether-alcohol soluble (lecithin) 

 phosphorus is highest in the blood of the normal rabbits and the figures 

 show that 6.33 per cent of the total phosphorus is present in the dried 

 blood of the normal rabbits as ether-alcohol soluble phosphorus 

 against 1.07 and 1.16 per cent in the case of the experimental rabbits. 

 Here again we see that the constant ratio of the constituents of the 

 blood is not maintained. Only traces of ether-soluble matter were 

 found in any of the samples of blood examined. (Table VIII.) 



aAmer. J. Physiol., 1906, 16 : 268. &Bio-Chem. J., 1908, 3 : 39. 



