STUDIES ON THE OXYGEN DEBT OF FROG TISSUES

Abstract

Studies were made of frog skeletal and cardiac muscle, peripheral nerve, skin, liver, kidney, intestine and stomach. The O2 debt was measured by estimations of the extra O2 consumed after a period of anaerobiosis by an improved method. Skeletal muscle was the only tissue which made up any appreciable fraction of its O2 debt. Skin exhibited a slight tendency in this direction, the other tissues none at all. Liver and kidney seemed to be damaged by periods of anaerobiosis which had no effect on skin, nerve, cardiac muscle or gut, in spite of the failure of these tissues to repay their O2 debt. A possible correlation between the phosphocreatine content of the tissues and their ability to withstand anaerobiosis is discussed.