162 A BIOMETRIC STUDY OF BASAL METABOLISM IN MAN. 



of individuals of given weight, of given body-surface as approximated 

 by the Meeh formula, and of given body-surface as estimated by the 

 Du Bois height-weight chart, and shall determine which of these meas- 

 ures actually permits the closest prediction in the case of subjects whose 

 metabolism is unknown so far as the development of the prediction 

 formulas is concerned. The arithmetical routine is illustrated in tables 

 57-59, to be discussed below. 



To avoid all criticism concerning the selection of measurements to 

 be used as the fundamental series, we shall take those for the 72 indi- 

 viduals chosen by Gephart and Du Bois, and designated in this volume 

 as the Gephart and Du Bois selection. From equations based upon 

 this series we shall compute the total heat-production which should be 

 found in individuals of three other series and compare the results of 

 predicting these values by three different methods with the metabolism 

 constants actually found. 



The individuals used for the test series are in no case included 

 in the series upon which the prediction formulas are based. The 

 grouping of the individuals has been determined by factors which are 

 entirely beyond our present control. The groups were selected before 

 the prediction equations were calculated, and no change has been made 

 subsequently. 



The following groups have been used, (a) The 17 men rejected 

 by Gephart and Du Bois from the 89 published by Benedict, Emmes, 

 Pcoth, and Smith. (6) The first supplementary series of 28 men. 

 (c) The second supplementary series of 19 men. 



Thus it is possible to test the results of prediction in three separate 

 series of men and (upon the combination of these series) on a general 

 series of 64 individuals. Now all students of metabolism might not 

 agree fully with Gephart and Du Bois in their selection of the 72 indi- 

 viduals as a basis for metabolism constants. It seems worth while, 

 therefore, to base prediction formulas on a quite different series and 

 to compare the predicted values of the metabolism of the 72 individuals 

 of the Gephart and Du Bois selection with their actually determined 

 heat-production. Such a procedure has not merely the merit of furn- 

 ishing a more stringent criterion of the value of the various methods 

 of calculating check series, but has the advantage of emphasizing in a 

 clear-cut manner the fact that data are still inadequate for the most 

 advantageous selection of control values for use in clinical calorimetry. 

 The most natural procedure is, of course, to base prediction form- 

 ulas on the 64 individuals not included in the Gephart and DuBois 

 selection and to test the results secured by these formulas against the 

 observed values for the individuals of the Gephart and Du Bois 

 selection. 



These series of comparisons cover only men. Turning to women, 

 it has seemed desirable to predict the results for the supplementary 



