NUTRITIONAL DERMATOSES IN THE RAT

Abstract

The use of egg white as a foodstuff for experimental animals had its origin in the nutritional investigations of the early part of this century, when biochemical research was concerned chiefly with the problem of nitrogen metabolism. The deleterious effects of unheated or uncoagulated egg white were gradually realized after numerous investigators had reported poor growth, loss of weight, hypochlorhydria, vomiting, diarrhea, "poor utilization," dermatitis, conjunctivitis, abscesses, diminished hemoglobin, spasticity, failure of lactation, nephritis and death in experimental animals from its use as the entire ration or as the source of protein in various diets. In the course of experiments on phosphorus retention, Steinitz¹ in 1898 observed that the ingestion of raw egg white by dogs caused vomiting and diarrhea. Falta and Noeggerath² in 1905 were unable to maintain adult rats on diets containing dried egg white as the sole source of protein; conjunctivitis and subcutaneous abscesses developed