Production and Counteraction of a Fatty Acid Deficiency in the Guinea Pig

Abstract

In studies with guinea pigs the omission of fat from a semi-synthetic type of diet resulted in a syndrome characterized by retardation of growth, dermatitis, marked drying of the inside of the ears and, in some animals, ulcers, loss of fur, and a tendency to a swollen, somewhat cyanotic condition of the feet. All of these symptoms were corrected by the oral administration of linoleic acid.