Diseases of the Liver and Spleen, 105 



" Fatty degeneration affected the fibres ot the heart to a 

 remarkable extent ; in fact, from the state of the organ, it 

 is certain that the circulation must have been extremely- 

 feeble. The spleen was congested, but not otherwise 

 diseased." 



Dr. Budd observes : " In our domestic animals, the fatten- 

 ing influence of fatty substances taken as food is far more 

 constant. It was well exhibited in the experiments lately 

 performed by Majendie, for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 nutritive powers of different kinds of food. In one of these 

 experiments, a dog was kept entirely on fresh butter, which 

 it continued to eat, though not regularly, for sixty-eight days. 

 It then died of inanition, although remarkably fat. All the 

 while the experiment lasted, the animal smelt strongly of 

 butyric acid ; its hair was greasy, and its skin covered with 

 a layer of fat. On dissection, all the organs and tissues 

 were found infiltrated with fat. The liver, to use the com- 

 mon phrase, was fatty ; and, on analysis, it was found to 

 contain a very large quantity of stearine, but little or no 

 oleine. It had acted as a kind of filter for the butter!' 



Many other experiments of the same kind were made 

 with hog's-lard and similar fatty substances, and with a like 

 result. The dogs became loaded with fat,,but their muscles 

 wasted, and at length they died of inanition. In many of 

 them, the cornea sloughed. In all, the liver was fatty. 

 These experiments are interesting, as showing clearly that 

 an animal maybe loaded with fat, and yet die of inanition. 



They place in a strong light the truth of the observation 

 long ago made by practical physicians, that fat people are 

 not so strong as they look, and, in general, ill bear loss of 

 blood or other depletive measures. The muscles of fat 

 people are small, audit is muscle which gives strength. These 

 remarks will equally apply to the lower animals, the horse 

 in particular. 



