Sulphur in Urine. 



401 



nitrogen and sulphur is to be expected. Indeed, it has long been urged that 

 the sulphur excretion is as true a measure of protein katabolism as is the 

 nitrogen excretion. In the fasting experiments with Cetti and Breithaupt, 

 Munk (7) computed the ratios between the nitrogen and sulphur N/S. These 

 ratios are given herewith. 



Day. 12345 6789 10 



Cetti 13.7 .. 14.2 .. 15 ... 14 16 .. 15.3 



Breithaupt 13.5 13 13.5 17 17 16.6 



The average ratio for the 6 days on which it was determined for Cetti was 

 14.7 and the average of 6 fasting days for Breithaupt was 15.1. In general, 

 the quotients remained fairly constant, although there is a minimum of 13 

 and a maximum of 17 observed in the case of Breithaupt. 



Commenting on the ratios obtained by Pellizzari & Luciani (4, p. 145), 

 Munk shows that the Italian authors determined only the inorganic and ethereal 

 sulphur and hence their values for total sulphur are somewhat too low. 



It should also be said, however, that the values for nitrogen are likewise too 

 low, 81 and hence the discrepancies tend to compensate. The ratios found in 

 the Florence fast of Succi range during the first 10 days of fasting from 19.5 

 on the first to 16.2 on the tenth day. 



Table 209. Ratio of nitrogen to total sulphur (8) in metabolism experiments 



without food. 



Luciani discusses at considerable length the fluctuations in this ratio, but 

 in the light of our present knowledge of sulphur determinations, his discussion 

 is at best inconclusive. 



The ratios of nitrogen to total sulphur for the Middletown experiments 

 have been computed and are given in table 209. 



81 See discussion by Munk (7), p. 118. 

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