Feces. 341 



pasty consistency of normal feces was but 150 grams. It is much to be regretted 

 that the actual amount of solid matter was not determined, but allowing the 

 greatest possible error in the estimate of water content, the total quantity of 

 dry matter for the whole experiment was probably somewhat less than that 

 excreted daily by a man with an average diet. 



The percentage of water in normal feces is not far from 75 to 80 per cent. 

 Consequently it may readily be computed that during the 30-day fast, assuming 

 that the pasty consistency secured by Luciani in the feces would correspond 

 to feces with a water content of 75 per cent, the actual amount of solid 

 matter would be not far from 37.5 grams or a little over 1 gram per day. 

 Since, however, the last feces were passed on the 24th day of the fast, 

 and consequently the fasting feces for the remaining 6 clays were not 

 included, the total amount of dry matter per day for 24 hours would be about 

 1.5 grams. 



During the 10-day fasting experiment with Cetti (7) the feces were 

 separated from those of the food eaten previously by means of the softer 

 consistency and more yellowish-brown color. This separation was further 

 confirmed by the microscope. The fasting feces were passed in two portions, 

 the first of 27 grams, collected at the end of the 7th fasting day, and the 

 second after the experiment ended. The dried portion of the feces amounted 

 to 34.147 grams, or 3.4 grams per day, but the writer states that the separation 

 was unsatisfactory. 



With Breithaupt (7) 28 grams of so-called "fasting feces" were collected 

 at the end of the third fasting day, and after the period of inanition 29 

 grams more were passed. The total weight of dry matter was 12.10 grams, or 

 2 grams per day. The separation of the fasting feces from those of the previous 

 food was made by using currants. At the end of the fasting period a charcoal 

 emulsion was used. 



An attempt to separate fasting feces was made on the subject J. A. (9). 

 The fasting experiment was preceded by a 2-day experiment with food. Before 

 the first meal of the food experiment the subject had fasted 15 hours. With 

 the first meal 30 grams of dried blueberries were eaten. The presence of the 

 residues of the berries in feces indicated that they belonged to the food of the 

 food day. 31 In order to separate the fasting feces from the second food period, 

 the subject received in the first meal after the fast 0.5 gram of charcoal, which 

 colored the corresponding feces gray. The total weight of air-dry 82 fasting 

 feces as separated in this manner was 12 grams, or about 2.4 grams per day. 



81 From the statements of the authors it was assumed that the berry residues 

 would become intimately incorporated with the feces for both days. This assump- 

 tion seems hardly tenable. 



32 9.08 per cent of water. 



