Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-03-11

the muscles get share OF the muscle
food that is in the blood, and are in ,
peculiarly overcharged or irritabl,
state In consequence OF having nothing
TO spend their force upon. The grand
resource OF the winter-sleeper is it,
store OF fat II accumulates a quite
unusual amount OF fat in the summer
and autumn, and disposes IL mostly in
certain interior deposits. which are
abundantly provided with blood yes.
sells. Now, in ordinary circumstances,
fat is OF no use for living force and
heat unless there be plenty OF fresh
oxygen constantly carried 10 it by the
blood to burn it; It is like the combus-
ton of candle. which can not go on
except in the presence OF air. But the
sleeper docs not breathe; the blood
carries no fresh oxygen from the air to
the fat or to any other tissue. We
require another kind OF process
TO convert the fat into force. or
nto muscle-food for the heart. The
explanation OF this is found in the veg
etable Kingdom. Many seeds, and in
a less degree, some bulbs and tubers.
have their winter store partly in the
form of oil or fat; when they begin to
sprout in spring, the first change in
order to mako the fat available for tho
materials OF growth is to have it con-
verted into sugar and starch. That Is
done by means OF ferment action, or
change OF state. the ferments being va
rious. The same subtle transforma-
ton takes place in the winter sleeper S
store OF fat; II it depended upon burn
ing Its fat In the usual way, by con-
slant supplies OF fresh oxygen. it
would be in the fatal position OF hav-
ing abundant assets, but no means OF
realizing them. The liquidation OF its
resources is effected by a subtle fer
ment action, which not only requires
no oxygen, but is actually most effect
i've when oxygen is excluded.
And now comes tho strangest thing
in the whole problem OF winter sleep.
The animal goes into winter quarters
with great store of fat and comes out
with its fat tissues all wasted, shriveled
and used up. On the other hand 1t
comes out OF its sleep having lost little
or nothing in weight and with an
abundant store Of another kind. which
has accumulated entirely while il was
asleep. The new store has accumu-
lated at the expense OF the fat, or the
store of the latter has been slowly
changed into another store of sub
stance specially suited to feed the heart
all through the winter and to feed the
organism generally in the first days
after its awaking. This store is the
so-called alternating gland. ltfollows
the same main lines OF disposition as
the fat store. being . store tissue in
the proper sense OF the term. II is OF
the color OF liver and is mostly packed
upon the back, between the shoulder
blades, sending extensions under the
collar-bones. and down into the chest
around the heart aud the great vessels.
and among the muscles OF the neck and
shoulders 1t is as closely in contact
with the blood-vessels as the fat store
itself; the blood takes up the liquidated
assets from the latter and deposits
them in the former. whence they are
carried as they are wanted to feed the
heart during the long winter. and the
organism generally in the first days OF
bestirring itself. No one has yet
examined that derived or
secondary store into which the fat is
changed. But there is no doubt that Il
is animal starch or sugar, just as In
seeds the oils change into vegetable |
starch and sugar. Animal starch or
sugar Is the proper food OF muscle;
it is the food that the heart has re-
quired the whole winter long to keep
1t going as an unceasing muscular
and what remains OF the
store "a large quantity is quickly
used up by the other muscles when the
hibernator begins to be lively. and in
producing the sudden increase OF in
ternal heat which the waking state de-
mands. All tina hiterp,tors have that
peculiar gland or store OF animal starch,
and some animals have IL which are
not winter sleepers In the strict sense.
The animals that have 1t arc those
that live in holes underground, with
little air, and go abroad at night A
special provision suited 10 their habits
has been turned to account by some OF
them so as TO enable them 10 pass the
whole winter in profound sleep, with
out food and without air. 1t is one OF
The strangcst chapters in tho economy
of nature. Oddly enough 1t has been
20 much disregarded by naturalists ano
during the last fort.
ears that hardly ono modern text
'ook gives dozen lines to 1t, and
ven Darwin has made hardly any use
4 this general habit OF the lower ami
ials, and OF some OF the higher. among
is charming illustrations OF the ami
lal economy London Standard.