1912.] Destiny of Cholesterol in the Animal Organism. 



17 



The daily weights of the patient showed a steady decrease during this long 



period — from 73*8 to 70'7 kgrm. — a total loss of 3 - l kgrm. The total 



weight of dry faeces passed during the period was 665 grm. This yielded 



20 - 2195 grm. of unsaponifiable matter, from which 14-7324 grm. of 



coprosterol were obtained. 



Total cholesterol ingested with Total output of coprosterol ... 14-7324 



food 14-920 Output per diem 0-3877 



Ditto intake per diem - 393 



Excess of intake over output per diem, - 0053. 



The loss in weight during this experiment amounts to about 82 grm. per 

 diem. This is considerably less than the loss in Series III and IV, which is 

 about 114 grm. and 250 grm. per diem respectively ; there must, therefore, 

 have been an absorption of cholesterol going on in the intestines during the 

 period. 



Conclusion. 



It would appear from these experiments that in man, as in the case of 

 other animals, the excretion of cholesterol in the faeces can be accounted for 

 by that taken in with the food, provided that the body weight remains 

 constant. If, however, a rapid loss in weight takes place, as in illness, the 

 output of cholesterol exceeds the intake. Further work will, however, be 

 necessary before this view can be regarded as fully estabhshed. 



Note on the Sterol Contents of Babbit Fceces. — In Part VIII of this series of 

 papers we described an experiment in which we succeeded in isolating 

 cholesterol by the digitonin method from the faeces of a rabbit which had 

 been fed on extracted bran, but into the peritoneal cavity of which olive oil 

 had been injected. The animal in question had lost nearly a third of its 

 weight during the experiment. In consequence of this result it was 

 thought desirable to submit the faeces of rabbits fed on extracted bran, 

 but which were not losing weight, to a more careful examination. 

 For this purpose four rabbits were fed for about ten days on bran which 

 had previously been roughly extracted with ether. The animals remained 

 during the experiment perfectly constant in weight. About 1200 grm. of air- 

 dried faeces were obtained. These faeces were extracted with ether and treated 

 in the manner already described, and yielded about 3 grm. of unsaponifiable 

 matter in the form of a stiff oil. This oil was dissolved in alcohol and mixed 

 with excess of digitonin in alcoholic solution. The precipitate was filtered 

 and washed with ether to get rid of oily matter, and repeatedly boiled out 

 with methyl alcohol, in which it proved very insoluble. The oily matter 

 separated from the compound did not give any sterol colour reaction in 



vol. lxxxvi. — b. c 



