358 Influence of Inanition on Metabolism. 



solids were of inorganic nature. The lowest amount of total ash recorded 

 is on the last day of experiment No. 75, 5.27 grams; the highest amount is on 

 the first day of experiment No. 80, 18.93 grams. While the amount of ash per 

 day remains fairly constant in the longer fasting experiments, and except in 

 experiments No. 68 and No. 77, never exceeds 10 grams per day, in the series of 

 2-day fasts, beginning with No. 79, much larger amounts of ash are eliminated, 

 the lowest average being 8.46 grams, in experiment No. 83 and the highest, 

 15.73 grams, in experiment No. 80. 



In the case of all the long fasting experiments except Nos. 68 and 77, 

 the ash elimination is not far from 6 to 7 grams per day. On the first day 

 of experiment No. 73, there is an unusually large amount of ash, 9.96 grams, 

 while on the second day, it immediately falls to 6.23 grams. In experiment 

 No. 68, the ash, although possibly erroneously distributed over the two days, 

 is nevertheless for the average of the two days relatively large, and in experi- 

 ment No. 77, the ash elimination varies from 13.88 grams on the first day to 

 9.14 grams on the last day. 



Comparing experiments with the same subject, it may be seen that the ash 

 in experiment No. 69 is but a little more than half as large as in the earlier 

 experiment, No. 68, while with the series of experiments with S. A. B., the ash 

 is practically constant at not far from 6 grams for all save the last experiment, 

 No. 77, in which the average elimination is over 11 grams. In the series of 

 2-day experiments, the ash is usually smaller on the second day than on the 

 first, although marked exceptions to this rule are seen in experiment No. 79, 

 and especially No. 82. 



It is, however, necessary to consider the data regarding the elimination of 

 sulphur, phosphorus and chlorine for an intelligent interpretation of the 

 elimination of ash. 



The only data regarding the ash elimination during fasting with which 

 we are familiar are the quantities in the urine of J. A. (9). On the last 

 day with food the total ash of urine amounted to 23.0 grams; on the 5 fasting 

 days the total ash eliminated was 14.7, 6.7, 5.7, 5.0, and 4.5 grams, respectively. 



Although complicated by the fact that considerable amounts of sodium 

 chloride were taken with some meat extract on each day of the experiments 

 reported by Pettenkofer and Voit, 41 the ash determinations are here given. 

 For the three one-day fasting experiments the amounts were 19.7, 18.89, and 

 14.40 grams, respectively. 



Deducting the salts in the meat extract and the weight of sodium chloride 

 used, the subject lost 2.1, 2.9, and 1.0 grams of ash per clay in the three 

 experiments. 



Organic matter. While as has been shown in the discussion regarding the 

 total ash, the mineral constituents of fasting urines may vary considerably in 



"Zeit. f. Biologie (1866), 2, p. 479. 



