538 



Influence of Inanition on Metabolism. 



Table 257. Intake and output of phosphoric acid (P 2 Ot) and sulphur (80 a ) 



Continued. 



1 Calculated, see table 180, p. 294. 



For 6 days. 



The gains of phosphoric acid in the second experiment were by no means 

 as large as in the first nitrogen metabolism experiment. On the fourth day of 

 the second week there was an insignificant loss. Unfortunately, the determina- 

 tions were not made for either sulphur or phosphorus on the last day of the 

 second week. There was, then, in both experiments, a tendency for the body 

 to gain phosphorus, but this tendency was much less marked in the second 

 than in the first study. 



The sulphur determinations in the urine of the first feeding experiment were 

 made only for the first week and for one day in the 4-day period following the 

 third week. After the first day or two, contrary to the excretion of phosphorus 

 in urine, the sulphur excreted during the first week was on the whole con- 

 siderably greater than during fasting experiment Xo. 75. There was a gain of 

 sulphur on all but one day of the week for which the determinations were 

 made. 174 The average gain per day for the week was 1.605 grams of sulphur 

 trioxide. On the next to the last clay of the first experiment there was a gain 

 of about 0.5 gram. 



The sulphur excreted in the urine was considerably higher during the first 

 week of the second nitrogen metabolism experiment than during the first week 



174 The very high amount of sulphur trioxide observed in the food of March 20- 

 21 has been the subject of much investigation. The analyses were first made in 

 duplicate and then several months later a third analysis was made which agreed 

 with the others. There is no clear reason why there should have been so marked 

 an increase in the sulphur content of food on this day unaccompanied by a pro- 

 portionate increase in nitrogen and phosphorus. While the food of no other day 

 has so large a content of sulphur trioxide, the food for March 27-28 has two-thirds 

 as much with somewhat less phosphorus. It is apparent, therefore, that there 

 must have been some food material which contained an unusually large amount of 

 sulphur in the diet of this day. 



