THE EFFECT OF PROTEIN DEFICIENCY ON THE COURSE OF PREGNANCY

Abstract

Pregnant albino rats can be given a N-free diet as early as 13 days before term and still bear living young. If they are fed such a diet earlier than 8 days before delivery there is marked intrauterine nutritional impoverishment of the young. They weigh less at birth, and contain less total N and less N per unit body weight than the young of adequately fed control animals. Results with a diet containing 10% gelatin as the source of protein were similar to those on a N-free diet. It is questionable whether the young of mothers on the gelatin diet contained less N per unit body weight than the controls.