A CRITIQUE OF THE BODY-SURFACE LAW. 



155 



clear that body-surface is the best single factor for predicting basal 

 metabolism. If heat-production shows approximately the same corre- 

 lation with body-weight as with body-surface, the conclusion must be 

 drawn that the two are of practically equal significance for estimating 

 basal metabolism. If the correlation between body-surface and the 

 measure of metabolism be actually smaller than that for other physical 

 characters, it must be relegated to a minor place as a means of predict- 

 ing metabolism. 



23SO 

 2230 

 -2190 

 2090 

 -1990 

 -1890 



-nso 



-16 'S3 



-1530 



J5 40 45 SJ 55 60 6S 70 7S SO SS SO 95 100 ICS 



BODY WEIGHT 



DIAGRAM 23. Relationship between body-weight and daily heat-production by men. 



The constants are arranged for a comparison of the correlations 

 between weight and heat-production and surface and heat-production 

 in table 53. The first problem which we have to consider on the basis 

 of these constants is that of the existence of a physiological law. That 

 total heat-production is related to body-weight and to body-surface is 

 clearly shown by the constants. We doubt, however, whether such a 

 quantitative law is what physiologists in general have had in mind 

 when they have stated that heat-production is proportional to body- 

 surface but not proportional to body- weight. Our constants show that 



