Adult albino rats, weighing 140-380 grams, were chosen for study on the effects of starvation, anaesthesia and nervous stimulation on liver glyco- gen and ribonucleic acid. Tissues were fixed in cold Carnoy's fluid, embedded in paraffin, stained with McManus' PAS method for glycogen and with methyl green-pyronine method for ribonucleic acid. Glycogen decreased considerably after 5 to 6 hours starvation and disap- peared completely after 8 hours. Ribonucleic acid also showed signs of decomposition and became more diffusely distributed. Anaesthetic starvation after intraperitoneal injection of 1% sodium amytal had less effect than that of starvation. When sciatic nerves of old rats were stimulated with 0.7-0.9 volts inducted current for 4 to 6 hours, liver glycogen disappeared completely and the depletion of liver ribonucleic acid was more pronounced than that of starvation. With young rats of 2 to 3 months of age, the influence was indistinct.

Under stimulation of electric current adult albino mice were made to run around on the wire without stop for 1 to 4 hours in a wooden case. In starved animals glycogen began to decrease 60 minutes after depri- vation of food and reached to about half within 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Six hours later only a few liver cells still contained some glycogen granules. Deple- tion of ribonueleic acid took place at a much slower rate. It broke from larger masses into tiny rods and filaments, sparsely distributed. No change of nucleus and nucleolus was noted. In exhausted animals changes of liver glycogen and ribonucleic acid were much more conspicuous than the starved ones. In most cases 2 to 3 1/2 hours' fatigue caused complete disappearance of glycogen granules and the reduc- tion of the ribonucleic acid. The chromatin condensed into larger knots or adhered to the inner side of the nuclear membrane. Central veins and sinusoids became enlarged and congested. Liver cells became smaller. Kupffer cells increased in number and their nuclei became darker.