’ 
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 
1s 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 wellexhibited 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. Theliver, to use the com- 
mon phrase, was /fatzy, and, on analysis, it was found to 
contain a very large quantity of stearine, but little or no 
oleine. Jt 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 may be 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, andit ismuscle which gives strength. These 
remarks will equally apply to the lower animals, the horse 
in particular. 
