Abstract
The blood sugar content of cats was examined in the present investigations in the non-feeding period and on feeding with glucose solution (3 or 2 grms. glucose per kilo body weight by mouth) and in fact while the animals were remaining wholly intact, and after the spleen was removed. The test was carried out several times during a long period after the splenectomy. The latter was carried out under narcosis, so that the control, dummy operation was performed, that is the abdominal cavity was opened simply under ether narcosis with-out combining any other manipulations. Several tests were carried out after the dummy operation.
The loss of the spleen is thus proved in our cats as having no in-fluence upon the blood sugar content in the non-feeding period and the sugar tolerance of the animal as well. A clear demonstration is supplied in the features, ref. Text-figure, originated from a cat in which the alimentary hyperglycaemia was measured several times before the splenectomy in a period over five weeks, many times after the dummy operation in a period over six weeks, and a number of times after the removal of the spleen in a period of four months. The magnitude of the alimentary hyperglycaemia is nott always quite the same, but varies to some extent, though not so excessively, as far as our experiments go, so that it is highly desirable, we think, to carry out the tolerance test several times before removing the spleen, and also several times after it has been done.
