PATHS OF ABSORPTION FOR PROTEIDS. 275 



In connection with the data obtained, Asher and Barbara 

 point out that the curves plotted to indicate the changes in 

 the composition of the lymph from hour to hour show a 

 striking similarity to those obtained for the hourly nitrogen 

 excretion in the urine after meals ; * and the authors are in- 

 clined to attach significance to the correspondence between 

 the curves. 



In support of earlier experiments f demonstrating that in 

 man the absorption of ingested proteids is not ordinarily a 

 function of the lymphatics, I. Munk J has published a brief 

 review of the experiment of Asher and Barbera. He points 

 out that the total proteid found in the lymph during the six 

 hours of the absorption period exceeds the proteid in the 

 hunger-lymph, calculated for an equal period, by only 4.485 

 grams, i. e., 



Total proteid in " absorption " lymph = 9.435 grams 



"hunger" " (6 X 0.826) = 4.950 " 



Proteid presumably absorbed into lymphatics = 4.485 " 



Of the 200 grams of proteid introduced into the dog's stomach, 

 130 grams were recovered at the end of the experiment. 

 Accordingly, since 70 grams of the albumin introduced had 

 disappeared from the alimentary tract, the additional quantity 

 of proteid found in the lymph during six hours of absorption 

 corresponds to only 6.4 per cent of the proteid absorbed. In 

 other words, 93.6 per cent of the material absorbed presumably 

 passed into the circulation by channels other than those lead- 

 ing to the thoracic duct. Munk further points out that these 

 results were obtained with excessive quantities of pjoteid : 200 

 grams being given to the dog at one time. 



Brustgang betheiligt sich also nach Eiweissnahrung an der Fortfiihrung des 

 Eiweisses in das Blut, wenn auch in geringer Menge." Ibid., pp. 406-7. 



* Cf. Tschlenoff, Correspondenzblatt f . Schweizer Aerzte, 1896, p. 1 ; 

 Veraguth, Journal of Physiology, 1897, xxi, p. 112; Hopkins and Hope, ibid., 

 1898, xxiii, p. 271; Hopkins, Schaefer's Text-book of Physiology, 1898, i, 

 p. 585. 



t Munk and Bosenstein, Virchow's Arch. f. d. exper. Pathologic, 1891, 

 cxxiii, p. 496. 



J L Munk, Centralblatt fur Physiologic, 1897, xi, p. 586. 



