398 S. MORGULIS, PAUL E. HOWE AND P. B. HAWK. 



fibers seem widely separated from each other, giving the entire 

 muscle a very loose appearance. In cross section they are seen 

 to consist of a dense central portion, which stains more or less 

 strongly, surrounded by a colorless material. There is, however, 

 no indication of a swelling of the muscle fibers as there is likewise 

 no evidence of fatty degeneration, but they apparently undergo 

 a process of liquefaction similar to that described by Miescher 

 in the Rhein Salmon occasioned also by protracted fasting while 

 it remains in fresh water. The nuclei are extremely irregular 

 in outline and stain faintly. 



In the voluntary, or striated muscle fibers, the cross markings 

 lack the usual distinctness. Swelling or granular degeneration, 

 such as described by Statkewitch, was never seen in our material. 



Of all the organs of the body the liver is taxed most heavily 

 during inanition inasmuch as it must take care of the products 

 of metabolic activity of all other organs besides sustaining itself. 

 It is natural to expect, therefore, to find the changes in the 

 structure of the liver cells of a most pronounced character. 

 Indeed, in the material under our examination a variety of 

 degenerative phenomena has been observed. Considering the 

 great difference in the degree of degeneration of the liver from 

 animals which have all died of starvation it follows that death is 

 not necessarily preceded by extreme cellular transformation. 

 In our material every gradation from very slight changes to 

 complete fatty degeneration of the liver cells could be observed. 

 In two dogs which fasted 30 and 48 days respectively, whereby 

 they lost 46 and 53 per cent, of their weight, there has been very 

 little fatty degeneration in the liver. Some cells, however, were 

 coarsely granular and others were riddled with vacuoles. In the 

 case of the fox, which in 13 days of absolute fasting lost only 

 13 per cent, of its weight, the cells were found to be hollowed out 

 by vacuoles of various sizes. These frequently encroach upon 

 the nucleus and distort its shape as may be seen in Fig. i. The 

 vacuoles never show a very sharp outline, their boundary being 

 more commonly diffuse and indefinite. In one extreme case of 

 degeneration the liver presented complete transformation of its 

 cells into typical fat cells. The polygonal shape of the cells was 

 retained but the protoplasm was reduced to a mere band enclosing 



