370 Influence of Inanition on Metabolism. 



For the third day of each fast (table 197) the data show that in all cases 

 (except experiment No. 73, where there was a diminished excretion of 0.43 

 gram), the nitrogen is greater on the third day than on the second, thus 

 indicating an average progressive increase in the nitrogen excretion. For the 

 average of all the experiments, the daily excretion is 10.03, 12.76, and 13.08 

 grams on the first, second, and third days, respectively. The evidence is 

 sufficient to show a positive increase in nitrogen on the third day over the 

 second amounting to 0.32 gram. This is also observed on the third day of the 

 earlier fasts (table 196) with the single exception of the Vienna fast by Succi. 



Of the five experiments which continued for 4 days or more, 4 were made 

 with one subject, and with the exception of experiment No. 77, there was a 

 decrease in the total nitrogen excretion on the fourth day as compared with the 

 third. The average excretion for the five experiments was 11.44 grams, or 

 1.64 grams less than on the third day. 



There was a further decrease of 1 gram in the nitrogen excreted on the 

 fifth day while on the sixth and seventh days, it remained about the same. 



In general, then, according to our experiments, the average nitrogen excretion 

 on the second and third days is larger than on the first day, the maximum 

 being reached on the third day. On the fourth and fifth days there is a 

 steady diminution, and so far as the few observations recorded show, the 

 excretion for the fifth, sixth, and seventh days is practically constant. 



Relation of body-weight to nitrogen excretion. Since proteid katabolism 

 is proportional in general to the size of the body and in all probability to the 

 active mass of protoplasmic tissue, it is important to note the nitrogen 

 excretion per kilo of body-weight in the different fasting experiments. These 

 have been also recorded in table 197. 



On the first day of the fast, the variation in the nitrogen excreted per kilo 

 of body-weight is from 0.101 gram in experiment No. 71 to 0.239 gram 

 in experiment No. 83. The low excretion per kilo of body-weight in experiment 

 No. 71 is to be expected from the unusually small amount of nitrogen excreted 

 on this day. It is important to note that in experiment No. 75, made with the 

 same subject, the amount of nitrogen excreted per kilo of body-weight is 0.206 

 gram. The average excretion for the first day of the fast is 0.156 gram. 



On the second day the excretion per kilo varies from 0.149 gram in experi- 

 ment No. 80 to 0.259 gram in experiment No. 79, averaging 0.202 gram. With 

 the same individual, S. A. B., the variations ranged from 0.179 gram in experi- 

 ment No. 77 to 0.211 gram in experiment No. 75. The excretion, then, per 

 kilo of body-weight on the second day of the experiments is much more nearly 

 constant than on the first day. On the third day, the per kilo excretion varies 

 from 0.186 gram in experiment No. 77 to 0.232 gram in experiment No. 71, 

 the average for the six experiments being 0.213 gram. 



The variations on the fourth day of the fast are even smaller than on the 

 third, ranging from 0.182 gram in experiment No. 69 to 0.202 gram in 



