THE EFFECT OF LIVER ON THE BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

In the treatment of pernicious anemia with liver as suggested by Minot and Murphy, 1 a certain proportion of patients may complain of a peculiar train of symptoms including marked hunger, headache, nervousness and sweating. These symptoms, which simulate those frequently occurring with hypoglycemia, led us to study the blood sugar level in a group of individuals following the ingestion of a definite amount of liver. This work was started in 1926, and a preliminary report was presented before the American Society for Clinical Investigation. 2 In the present paper we are reporting in further detail observations on the effect of liver on the blood sugar levels in eighteen cases of diabetes, in nine cases of primary and secondary anemia, and in two normal persons. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Liver is an article of food that has usually been forbidden in the diabetic diet because of its carbohydrate content. It