112 



METABOLISM IN SEVERE DIABETES. 



meter being 0.73 and with the respiration apparatus 0.72, values not appre- 

 ciably different from those obtained in the earlier series. As a matter of fact, 

 the lowest individual respiratory quotient found in the new series of experi- 

 ments was the value 0.68 obtained with Case P in one experiment. 



The moderately severe and light cases are too few in number for us to 

 draw any deductions, but there is a tendency for the respiratory quotient to 

 be somewhat higher with the light cases than with the severe, thus indicating a 

 slightly higher combustion of carbohydrate. The low averages found with the 

 severe cases indicate a combustion almost exclusively of fat, with a relatively 

 small amount of protein and almost no carbohydrate combustion. This is 



Table 126. Average respiratory quotients in experiments with diabetics without food, 



1910-1911. 



Subject. 



Severe diabetes. 



Case A 



H 



I 



K 



L 



N 



O. 

 P. 

 Q. 

 R. 

 S.. 

 T. 

 U. 

 V. 



Av. severe cases . 



Moderately severe and light 

 diabetes. 



Case M 



W 



X 



Av. moderately severe 

 and light cases 



Calorimeter. 



Respiratory quotient. 



Average. 



0.76 

 0.72 



74 0.76 0.73 0.74 0.76 0.72 

 0.71 



0.69 .... 

 76 0.78 

 0.72 .... 



0.71 0.75 

 0.73'.... 



0.76 

 0.72 



0.74 



0.69 

 0.77 

 0.72 



6'73 

 0.73 



Respiration apparatus. 



0.73 



0.78 



6^73 6'80 6!8i 



0.78 

 6^78 



0.78 



'The respiratory quotient for this experiment was for the periods ll h 55 m p.m. to l h 27 m a.m. and 5 h 05 m to 



6 h 05 m a.m., June 2-3, 1911. 

 J At 6" 45 a.m. the subject ate a light breakfast consisting of a 2-egg omelet and a cup of coffee. The experiment 



began at 9 h 22 m a.m., the last period ending at ll h 10 a.m. 



fully in conformity with the very low carbohydrate supply in the bodies of dia- 

 betics, and it is fully in accord with what theoretically would be predicted. 

 Here again we find a complete absence of the abnormally low quotients fre- 

 quently reported by earlier writers. 



In order to sum up the results of all the experiments thus far made, we 

 have computed the respiratory quotients for each individual case both in the 

 calorimeter and with the respiration apparatus when experiments with both 

 apparatus had been made, and they are combined in table 127. It is seen that 

 the average value with severe diabetes in both the calorimeter experiments 

 and the respiration experiments was 0.73, although here again it should be 

 pointed out that experiments on each individual were rarely performed with 

 both apparatus. 



