Metabolism Experiment No. 59. 



41 



ing the organic hydrogen of the urine, 2.60 grams, there remains 25.68 grams, 

 the amount of organic hydrogen that was oxidized during the day. From the 

 ratio of hydrogen to water it is computed that there are 229.6 grams of water 

 resulting from this oxidation. Thus the discrepancy apparently existing be- 

 tween the total elimination of water and the water katabolized from the body is 

 explained by the water of oxidation of organic hydrogen. 



This computation assumes that all the organic hydrogen of the urine results 

 from the decomposition products of protein. While the numerous tests for 

 albumen and sugar, which were invariably negative, would preclude the 

 possibility of organic hydrogen from these two sources, nevertheless the marked 

 acidosis observed by Brugsch 7 would lead to the inference that organic matter 

 other than that of the disintegration products of protein might well be present 

 in the solids of urine in fasting experiments. With the data at hand, however, 

 no better method of distinguishing between preformed water and water of 

 oxidation of organic hydrogen has as yet been obtained. 



Table 11. Distribution of intake and outgo of water Metabolism experiment 



No. 59. 



Balance of water. While the figures in table 10 indicate the loss of elements 

 and materials from the body, the income of water has not been taken into 

 consideration in any of the computations thus far, while the oxygen of the 

 income has been duly considered. Hence it is clear that the loss of water 

 from the body as given in column e of table 10 is not the net amount lost, 

 since the body received certain amounts of water daily. Thus, on the first 

 day, there were consumed 1342.5 grams of water; on the second day, 1360.2 

 grams; on the third day, 1188.0 grams. If the amount of drinking-water is 

 taken into consideration, the actual loss of water from the body is much less 

 than appears in table 10. The true loss of preformed water is therefore the 



7 Zeit. f. exper. Path. u. Ther. (1905), 1, p. 419. 

 Zeit. f. exper. Path. u. Ther. (1906), 3, p. 675. 



Cf. also Bonniger and Mohr, 



