The impact of nutrition on infection.

It seems that the early impressions of Graves have been borne out by a series of increasingly objective measurements, some in animals, such as those in the studies of Robertson and of Cannon and their collaborators, and some in patients, such as those of Wohl, Law, Copeland, Dudrick, Meakins, Mullen, and their associates. This is by no means a complete review of the literature, but sufficient data have been presented to indicate that poor nutrition is followed by a great increase not only in total complications but also in infectious complications. This is most clearly seen in the more exaggerated cases of malnutrition but is observed to some extent with deficits of intermediate severity. So far, the studies do not pinpoint susceptibility to particular organisms but appear to implicate the mechanisms of defense against microorganisms on a categorical basis. The reverse effect, that is the impairment of nutritional status resulting from both chronic and acute infection, is too well known to require emphasis.