222 A BIOMETRIC STUDY OF BASAL METABOLISM IN MAN. 



based on the data as a whole, the line for the men is found to lie above 

 that for the women. 



3. When the theoretical heat-production of women is calculated 

 by inserting their actual physical measurements in equations based on 

 series of men, the actual heat-production is generally lower than the 

 theoretical value. Larger women show a relatively larger deficiency 

 in heat-production than smaller ones. The suggestion is made that 

 body-weight is the primary factor in determining the greater deficiency 

 in the heat-production of larger women, and that it is observable in 

 the case of stature and body-surface area primarily because these are 

 correlated with body-weight. 



The most critical test shows that when body-weight, stature, and 

 age are taken into account women show about 6.2 per cent lower 

 metabolism than men. 



Our results show that the differentiation of the sexes in metabolism 

 is not evident in new-born infants. The researches of Sonde*n and 

 Tigerstedt suggest that it is well marked in youth. 



Our findings are not in accord with the conclusion of Sonde"n and 

 Tigerstedt 17 "class sich der im Kindes - und Jugendalter so deutlich 

 und scharf hervortretende Unterschied zwischen den beiden Ge- 

 schlechtern allmahlich verwischt, um endlich bei herannahendem 

 Greisenalter ganz zu verschwinden." Instead we find the difference 

 between the metabolism of men and women well marked throughout 

 the period of adult life. 



17 Sonden and Tigerstedt, Skand. Arch. f. Physiol., 1895, 6, p. 96. 



