194 Thyroid and Liver Glycogen 
thyroid hormone is thought to accelerate the oxidation of carbohydrates,? 
King? reported that in vitro the dextrose-destroying power of a mixture of 
muscle and pancreatic juice (reported as polymerization by others) is 
markedly retarded by the addition of thyroid juice. Mackenzie,* however, 
observed that thyroid juice has no influence upon blood glycolysis in 
vitro. Opinions as to the glycogenetic function of the liver in some 
pathological conditions, where the liver glycogen promptly disappears, 
are still controversial. Grube® claims that perfusion of livers with phlor- 
hizin not only prevents formation of glycogen from dextrose, but also 
breaks down part of the glycogen previously existing. Schdndorff and 
Suckrow,® repeating these experiments, failed to confirm them. Accord- 
ing to Neubauer,’ in phosphorus poisoning as well as in pancreatic dia- 
betes, the liver is affected in its function of forming glycogen from glucose, 
-while this does not hold for levulose. Nishi’s experiments,* however, show 
that the glycogenetic function of the liver of depancreatized animals 
remains normal. 
_ If an increased oxidation is the only or at least the chief cause 
of the decrease of liver glycogen in hyperthyroidism, a large 
amount of a very high carbohydrate diet might cause the storage 
of glycogen in the liver of thyroid-fed animals. Some AD 
ments were made to test this. 
Methods.—As the usual food, a paste, made of 70 parts of dog 
biscuit (rat biscuit which is specially prepared for feeding ex- 
periments by Drs. Osborne and Mendel was not used this time) 
and 30 parts of lard, was given, and as extra carbohydrate, 
sucrose was added. Giving the dog biscuit-lard diet freely to 
normal rats, Osborne and Mendel? reported that about 4.5 to 9 
gm. per day of the food administered to a 150 gm. albino rat or 
9 to 13.5 gm. to a 300 gm. rat, are enough to maintain or even 
to increase the body weight. In my experiments, owing to the 
frequent decrease of the appetite of the thyroid-fed animals, not 
much more food than this average could be given. 1 gm. of 
2 Cramer, W., and McCail, 2t., Quart. J. Exp. Physiol., 1917, xi, 59. 
3 King, J. H., J. Exp. Med., 1909, xi, 665. 
4 Mackenzie, G. M., J. Hap. Med., 1915, xxii, 757. 
5 Grube, K., Arch. ges. Physiol., 1909, exxviii, 118. 
_ ®Schondorff, B., and Suckrow, F., Arch. ges. Physiol., 1911, exxxviii, 
538. 
7 Neubauer, E., Arch. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1909, Ixi, 174. 
8 Nishi, M., Arch. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1910, Ix, 170. 
® Osborne, T. B., and Mendel, L. B., Carnegie Institution of Washington, 
Publication No. 156, pt. i, 1911, 16. 
