294 



Influence of Inanition on Metabolism. 



The "dried" feces were not absolutely anhydrous, but the comparison 

 between the weights of the fresh and dried material indicates considerable 

 variations in the percentages of water in the feces from day to day. Thus in 

 the 246.5 grams of fresh feces passed March 23 at 7 h 10 m p. m. there were but 

 39.0 grams of air-dry material. Allowing 5 per cent of water in the air-dry 

 material, the water-free substance would constitute only 15 per cent of the 

 whole amount, an unusually low percentage. There was no indication that the 

 subject had any diarrhoea. 



The 20.4 grams of feces passed on April 13, at 8 h 15 m a. m. (second day after 

 a 4-day fast) on the contrary, contained 10.4 grams of air-dry matter or 

 about 50 per cent of the total. 



Fluctuations of similar character, though not so marked, can be observed 

 in the water content of the feces passed during the second nitrogen metabolism 

 experiment. 



Analysis of feces. The air-dried feces for each week were ground, sampled, 

 and analyzed. The amounts of nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, and the heat 

 of combustion per gram are recorded in table 180. 



Table 180. Determined weight of nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorus, and heat of 

 combustion of partially dried feces Nitrogen metabolism experiments Nos. 1 

 and 2. 



Labor- 

 atory 

 num- 

 ber. 



Date. 



(a) 



Nitro- 

 gen. 1 



(&) 



Phos- 

 phor- 

 us. 



(c) 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid 

 (P 2 6 ). 



(d) 



Sul- 

 phur. 



(e) 



Sul- 

 phur 



triox- 

 ide 



(SO,). 



(/) 

 Heat of 

 combus- 

 tion 

 per 

 gram 



3889 

 3890 

 3891 

 3892 



3907 

 3908 



Experiment No. 1: 



First week, Mar. 14 to 21 



Second week, Mar. 21 to 28. . 

 Third week, Mar. 28 to Apr. 4 

 Fourth week, Apr. 4 to 13. . . 



Experiment No. 2: 



First week, Apr. 12 2 to 19. . . . 

 Second week, Apr. 19 to 26. . 



Grams. 



16.42 



27.17 



19.50 



10.14 



17.22 

 16.52 



Grams, 

 6.16 

 8.52 

 6.06 

 3.26 



6.83 

 6.08 



Calories, 

 5.094 

 5.146 

 5.185 

 5.059 



4.779 

 4.785 



1 The per cents of nitrogen in feces for the different weeks of the experiments were as fol- 

 lows : Experiment No. 1, first week, 4.16 per cent ; second week, 4.09 per cent ; third week, 4.40 

 per cent ; fourth week, 4.32 per cent. For experiment No. 2, the corresponding per cents were 

 4.94 and 4.62. 



2 The separation of feces from nitrogen metabolism experiment No. 1 was not obtained until 

 April 13. The second experiment, however, began on April 12, when food was ingested. 



No attempt was made to determine the water in the feces, as the subject was 

 not within the respiration chamber and consequently the water balance could 

 not be determined. The analyses of the feces were accordingly made on the 

 air-dry material. 



Amounts of fecal nitrogen excreted per day. Although it is obviously 

 impossible to separate the feces for each experimental day, it is of advantage 



