436 Veterinary Medicine. 



and fcetal membranes, and finally in the inflammatory products of 

 pneumonia and in leucocytes, seems to imply that it is essential 

 to such cell growth (Murchison). In keeping with this is the 

 fact that the liver is of relatively much greater size in the foetus 

 and in the young and rapidly growing animal, and also in meat 

 producing animals which have been selected and bred through 

 many generations for early maturity and rapid fattening. The 

 enormous development of adipose tissue and of lipomata in such 

 animals is essentially abnormal, though it is a deviation from the 

 natural that is esteemed as evidence of excellence, and a neces- 

 sary condition of success in the meat producing industry. While 

 other conditions are necessary to the production of such obesity, 

 such as abundance of rest, slow, shallow breathing, a genial cli- 

 mate, and a generous hydro-carbonaceous food, yet all of these 

 would prove ineffective without a large liver, working under 

 high pressure in producing a large output of sugar. The mere 

 obesity in the meat producing animal is not considered as disease 

 and it is only when the tendency to fat production culminates in 

 an adipose degeneration of the muscles and other tissues that 

 actual disease is conceded. 



Emaciation in certain cases is traceable to the opposite condi- 

 tion. A small or inactive liver with a diminished production of 

 sugar and fat will ensure loss of weight, which is still further ag- 

 gravated by decreased secretion of bile and insufficient absorp- 

 tion of peptones. Experimentally this condition has been re- 

 peatedly brought about by making a biliary fistula, and cutting 

 off all bile from the intestine. Death preceded by extreme ema- 

 ciation ensues in 12 months (Murchison). This being the case 

 with the escape of all the bile secreted, a slower but no less cer- 

 tain emaciation must follow on a structural or functional disorder 

 .of the liver which is attended with a greatly lessened production 

 of bile. This, indeed, is the condition met with in advanced 

 glycosuria, when the liver is the seat of general fatty degenera- 

 tion. 



From the experiment of the removal of the pancreas we may 

 infer that diseases of this organ which pervert or destroy its nor- 

 mal functions, will check glycogenesis in the liver by withhold- 

 ing the supposed pancreatic ferment, and by so doing will con- 

 duce to emaciation and marasmus. 



