34 A BIOMETRIC STUDY OF BASAL METABOLISM IN MAN. 



By this ruling the following individuals, 25 10 in all, were withdrawn 

 from the series: 



(87) F. P. (73) L. D. A. 



(81) V. G. (77) W. W. C. 



(22) E. J. W. (67) F. M. M. 



(31) H. F. (3) M. H. K. 



(79) C. H. H. (7) H. W. 



"In order to rule out those who were distinctly over or under weight, the 

 subjects were all plotted in a curve, the height forming the abscissse and the 

 weight the ordinates. All but 9 of the subjects could be grouped between two 

 lines not very far apart. Of the 9, W. S., 0. F. M., Prof. C., H. F., F. E. M., 

 and F. A. R. were evidently much heavier in proportion to their height. 



" Two of the 9, R. A. C. 26 and B. N. C., were evidently very light in pro- 

 portion to their height. E. P. C. came just outside the line, but so close 

 that he has not been excluded from the averages." 



This gives "a fairly homogeneous total" of 79 individuals "where 

 average metabolism was 34.7 calories per square meter per hour, or 

 exactly the same as that of the original 89 before the addition of 7 and 

 the exclusion of 17." 



Note that (31) H. F. is excluded on the basis of both age and ratio 

 of weight to height. 



Thus the individuals omitted from the Nutrition Laboratory series 

 are 17 in number as follows: 



(2) W. S. (75) R. A. C. (or R. I. C.?) (73) L. D. A. 



(28) O. F. M. (25) B. N. C. (77) W. W. C. 



(30) Prof. C. (87) F. P. (67) F. M. M. 



(31) H. F. (81) V. G. (3) M. H. K. 

 (17) F. E. M. (22) E. J. W. (7) H. W. 

 (36) F. A. R. (79) C. H. H. 



This series we have designated as the Gephart and Du Bois selection. 



Thus Gephart and Du Bois have settled for us the question of the 

 specific men of the original 89 studied at the Nutrition Laboratory to 

 be included in the determination of a set of statistical constants; but 

 difficulties arose when the first and second supplementary series of 

 men became available for analysis and we attempted to apply the same 

 criteria to them in order to obtain a larger number of subjects chosen 

 according to approved clinical standards. 



The elimination of individuals on the basis of age presented no 

 obstacle. Of course the distinction between a man of 20 and another 

 of 19 is a purely arbitrary one, but such arbitrary distinctions have 

 to be made, and in selecting according to standards established by 

 others one merely has to follow the rules which have been laid down. 



For the elimination of subjects on the basis of height and weight 

 the case is quite different. Here too the division is necessarily an arbi- 

 trary one, but Gephart and Du Bois have given no definite criteria by 



25 The numbers in parentheses and the initials refer to the fundamental table of data on 



pages 38 to 47. 

 28 Evidently a misprint for R. I. C. of Benedict, Emmes, Roth, and Smith. 



