Abstract
Summary
Small but statistically significant differences in growth and food utilization were produced in the albino rat through gentling. Gentled animals also showed a trend toward a lowering of thyroid activity. When animals were gentled for 1 wk. preceding stress, no significant differences in growth, food utilization, carcass length or thyroid function could be found between gentled and non-gentled animals. If this initial gentling period was extended to 2 wk., gentled-starved animals extended their growth and food utilization advantage over the non-gentled group, and showed a consistent trend toward lower thyroid function. Animals which were gentled for 2 wks. preceding electrical shock, lost their growth and food utilization advantage over the non-gentled group, and both groups were markedly inferior to the non-shocked controls. Thyroid uptake measurements indicated that the basal metabolism of electrically shocked rats was increased over that of non-shocked animals, but no statistically significant differences existed between gentled and non-gentled groups.
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