366 Influence of Inanition on Metabolism. 



While the data in table 196 show that in general the excretion of nitrogen is 

 less as the fast progresses, the determination of 21.58 grams of nitrogen in the 

 urine of Sohn, on the eighth day of fast, is remarkable as being the largest 

 excretion of nitrogen thus far observed with any fasting man. 



It should further be noted, that inasmuch as Sohn was well nourished at 

 the beginning of the fast and the experiment continued but eight days, we 

 have not here to do with the premortal rise in nitrogen excretion occasionally 

 observed in animals after a prolonged fast. 



Excretion of nitrogen on days preceding fast. In discussing the nitrogen 

 excretion during fasting, the excretion on the day preceding the fast is of value 

 in showing the rate of elimination when the ingestion of food ceased, since 

 a large nitrogen excretion on the day preceding the fast would indicate a large 

 nitrogen consumption. In certain cases the subjects of fasting experiments 

 have made a special effort to eat an unusual amount on the day before the fast 

 as a preliminary to the fast. Thus, the hypnotic subject of Hoover & Sollman 

 (8) excreted 20.98 grams of nitrogen on the day before the fast began, while 

 on the first day without food the nitrogen excretion fell to 12.37 grams. The 

 nitrogen excreted by Landergren was 19.71 grams on the day before the 

 fast and 13.60 grams on the first day of the fast. Perhaps the most marked 

 difference in the excretion of the nitrogen on the day before the fast and the 

 first fasting day thus far recorded is that of J. A., in the Stockholm laboratory 

 (9), the nitrogen on the first day of the fast, 12.04 grams, being but a little 

 more than one-half that excreted on the day before the fast, namely, 22.41 

 grams. 



In nearly all of the Middletown experiments, the subjects were cautioned 

 not to eat heartily during the day preliminary to a fast, and to eat no meat. 



It was possible in many cases to measure the nitrogen excretion on the day 

 preceding the fasting period. 



For use in interpreting the results of the fasting days all the data available 

 for the nitrogen determinations for the day before the fast and made in 

 connection with these experiments are here given. In a number of instances, 

 only the urine for the 12 hours before the fast began, was analyzed. In others, 

 the analyses are made in the usual four periods for the day, the data being 

 given in full below. 



An examination of the data obtained with the subject S. A. B. for the 

 preliminary night or day, shows that on the day preceding the first fast day of 

 experiment No. 71 the subject excreted 3.21 grams of nitrogen between 7 p. m. 

 and 7 a. m., an unusually small excretion for this subject, as is seen by com- 

 parison with the corresponding amounts of nitrogen eliminated during the 

 night period on other preliminary days. The total nitrogen output for the day 

 preceding experiment No. 73 was 12.50 grams, of which 7.153 grams was elimi- 

 nated during the night from 7 p. m. to 7 a. m. On this preliminary night, 



