Alimentary Lipæmia and Resistance to Altitude Anoxia

Abstract

SEVERAL recent clinical studies¹ have pointed out important relationships between alimentary lipæmia and the function of the circulatory system after a single large fat meal. The occurrence of typical attacks of angina pectoris especially was observed at the peak of the serum opalescence, accompanied by changes in the electrocardiogram and balistocardiogram. According to various authors many factors participate in these disturbances : increased blood sedimentation-rate and viscosity, decreased fibrinolysis, agglutination of erythrocytes in the blood vessels, and other factors. The possible effect of a relative lack of oxygen in the tissues when the organism is suddenly overloaded with fat was not taken into account. Therefore an experimental study of the effect of alimentary lipæmia upon the resistance of the animal organism to lack of oxygen was undertaken, as the first step towards solving this problem.