152 A BIOMETRIC STUDY OF BASAL METABOLISM IN MAN. 



quantities. The extent of error due to this source has been indicated 

 on page 144 above. 



We agree with the fundamental correctness of the statement of 

 Du Bois and Du Bois 71 that "In any discussion as to whether metab- 

 olism is proportional to body-weight or to surface-area it is essential 

 to apply a method of measuring the surface which does not depend 

 entirely on weight." 



A comparison of the correlation between body-weight and body- 

 surface as determined by the two formulas will throw some further 

 light upon the value of the two methods of estimating body-surface. 



TABLE 52. Comparison of relations between weight and body-surface by the Meeh formula 

 with the correlations between weight and body-surface by the Du Bois height-weight chart. 



From the constants in table 52, it appears that the correlations 

 between body-weight and body-surface as determined by both methods 

 are large, but that in each group of individuals the correlation between 

 body-weight and body-surface as determined from the Du Bois height- 

 weight chart is lower than that between body-weight and body-surface 

 as determined by the Meeh formula. This must be taken as evidence 

 for the greater value of the Du Bois height-weight chart, since it shows 

 that the body-surface is less a function of body-weight than in the case 

 of the Meeh formula. 



6. CORRELATION AS A CRITERION OF THE VALIDITY OF THE 



BODY-SURFACE LAW. 



Since it is clear that a mere comparison by inspection of the sets 

 of constants for metabolism measured in calories per kilogram of body- 



71 Du Bois and Du Bois, Arch. Intern. Med., 1915, 15, p. 880. 



