The physiology of the carbohydrates : an epicriticism / by F.W. Pavy.

  • Frederick William Pavy
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The physiology of the carbohydrates : an epicriticism / by F.W. Pavy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

    127/172 (page 103)
    Is hepatic glycogen changed to glucose in the normal state of the animal? Pavy argues against this as follows. In the first ten or twelve minutes after death 10 or 12 parts per 1000 of sugar is formed. At this rate all the glycogen would disappear in three quarters of an hour. Hence, if amylolysis goes on at the same rate in the living animal (we have in the ' Philosophical Transactions 5 argued against this)/' [no, what Dr. Paton has argued against is that in the absence of vitality amylolysis does not go on at the same rate as under the influence of the existence of vitality] in starvation, sugar would not be found in the liver (he himself contends against the view that it is so found) [Dr. Paton incorrectly intro- duces the word sugar for glycogen (pp. 144-5), and then founds a cynical remark upon what he wrongly puts into my mouth] because the glycogen would all be used up. Surely he is the last person to use this argument, since he himself contends that carbohydrates are yielded by the splitting, of the proteid molecule, and proteids are constantly split up during starvation. Surely Dr. Paton must have imperfectly grasped the situation. I distinctly contend, in opposition to the prevailing view, that the liver is not a proteolytic organ, saying at p. 121 : Authorities speak of gly- cogen taking origin from proteid matter within the liver by a proteolytic action exerted by its cells. It has been in this way considered that the pi'esence of glycogen is to be accounted for under subsistence upon animal food. I have shown, however, that