Relation between Organ Weights and Obscure Lesions in Apparently Normal Rabbits

A study of organ weights was made on a group of 295 normal rabbits for the purpose of determining whether any relation could be detected between the weights of organs and the extent and activity of the lesions found post mortem. The results obtained seemed to indicate that disease, even in its mildest form, is capable of affecting the weights of organs that are not directly involved by the disease process and that the effect produced bears a relation to both the extent and the activity of the lesions present. There was also some evidence that the converse might be true; namely, that the occurrence and subsequent course of disease may be influenced in some measure by the state of organ balance and the ability of the animal organism to adjust itself to meet the demands of disease-producing agencies.