BASAL METABOLISM OF NORMAL MEN AND WOMEN. 213 



be the same as that of a man of like weight. The greatest increase in 

 the amount of divergence between the theoretical and the actual heat- 

 production is apparently found toward the upper limit of the range 

 of the bases of classification. It seems reasonable, therefore, to assume 

 (as a working hypothesis for further investigation) that body-weight 



DIAGRAM 30. Comparison of metabolism of men and women. Women 

 classified according to body-weight. 



rather than stature or body-surface is the primary proximate factor 

 in bringing about this observable tendency for the women with greater 

 stature and greater body-surface to show a relatively greater deficiency 

 in metabolism. If this view be correct, the observed relationships for 

 stature and body-surface would be the resultant of this primary inter- 

 relationship and the correlations of both stature and area with weight. 



