26 A BIOMETRIC STUDY OF BASAL METABOLISM IN MAN. 



In infants the length must be taken as comparable with the stature 

 of the adult. In discussing the data for infants we shall, therefore, 

 refer to the relationship between stature and other characters rather 

 than to that between length and other characteristics. This is done to 

 maintain uniformity in the statistical symbols. 



In measuring infants the vertical rod was of course replaced by a 

 fixed and a movable vertical on a horizontal scale. 



Body-weight. Body-weight, in kilograms, was always taken with- 

 out clothing. While weight of clothing may be a negligible factor in 

 life-insurance examinations, or even in anthropometric investigations, 

 it can not be disregarded in careful physiological work. Experience 

 at the Nutrition Laboratory has shown that weight of clothing will 

 amount to about 4.0 kilograms for men and 2.5 kilograms for women. 



Body-surface. In conformity with the custom of physiologists, 

 heat-production has for certain purposes been expressed in calories per 

 square meter of body-surface per 24 hours. 



The measurement of body-surface presents very great difficulties. 

 If the superficial area of our subjects had been measured directly a 

 series of determinations one-tenth as large as that here considered 

 could probably not have been secured. The whole question of body- 

 surface in relation to heat-production will be discussed in detail in 

 Chapter VI. For the moment it is necessary to note merely that for 

 infants surface was estimated by the Lissauer l formula 



where a = area in square centimeters and w-weight in kilograms. 

 When the original Nutrition Laboratory series was published 2 the 

 Meeh formula 3 



for adults was generally accepted. The results of later studies have 

 also been expressed by this formula and in addition estimated by the 

 Du Bois height-weight chart, 4 which is based on the linear body-surface 

 formula of D. and E. F. Du Bois. 5 



This covers sufficiently the physical measurements. 



The body temperature of our own subjects has not been consid- 

 ered. In discussing the literature we have, sometimes, referred to 

 temperature, designated in our formulas by t. In such cases the reader 

 must consult the paper cited for details as to measurement. 



The physiological determinations can best be explained by a single 

 general description of the apparatus and method of experimentation. 



Lissauer, Jahrb. f. Kinderheilk, 1902. N. F.. 58, p. 392. 



Benedict, Emmea, Roth, and Smith. Journ. Biol. Chom., 1914, 18, p. 139. 



Meeh, Zeitschr. f. Biol., 1879,, 15, p. 425. 



Du Bois and Du Bois, Arch. Intern. Med., 1916, 17, p. 863. 



Du Bois and Du Boia, Arch. Intern. Med., 1915, 15, p. 868. 



