Heavy Water in the Animal Body

Virtual deuterium oxide space (total body water) in normal and protein‐deficient rats

“…The virtual deuterium oxide spaces reported for different species are compared in Table 2. In the present series the values for this space were greater than that obtained by McDougall, Verzar, Erlenmeyer & Gaertner (1934), whose result was, however, based on observations in only two rats which had been fasted for 20 hr. Our animals were allowed food and water ad lib.…”

The Measurement of Total Body Water in the Human Subject by Deuterium Oxide Dilution

“…Desiccation studies in animals have established the fact that the volume of dilution of deuterium oxide corresponds closely to the total body water (3,7,8). The present availability of *radioactive tritium (mass 3) makes the use of this isotope promising (9), although the half-life of 12 (10) and Mitchell and associates (11) give a value of 67.85%o in a case of congestive heart failure, while 75%o was found in a stillborn infant (12).…”

The absorption of water from the colon of the rat under urethane anaesthesia

“…The concentration of phenol red employed was too low to have any appreciable effect on the osmotic pressure of the solution. Thirdly, deuterium oxide may be used as an index of water exchange as has been done in the case of the small intestine by Hevesy & Hofer [1934], McDougall, Verzar, Erlenmeyer & Gaertner [1934] and by Peters & Visscher [1939]. Distilled water alone cannot be used since it damages the mucous membrane [Dennis, 1940] Hollander, Penner & Saltzman [1937].…”