Introduction. 9 



existing between clothing and body. Some data regarding the energy trans- 

 formation during dressing and undressing are of distinct value in making up 

 the total energy transformations during the day. A number of experiments 

 to emphasize this point were made and are herewith reported. 



Opening food aperture. In connection with the experiments with the respira- 

 tion calorimeter, especially those in which the subject remained seated in a 

 chair, one series of movements which called for a large amount of muscular 

 activity was the motion of rising from the chair, taking one or two steps to 

 the opening inside of the calorimeter through which food and drink are passed, 

 opening this door, removing the containers for food and drink, closing the 

 door, and returning to and sitting down in the chair. Inasmuch as this opera- 

 tion played a very important role in a number of experiments, several experi- 

 ments were designed to study the metabolism and energy transformations 

 during the time required. 



Specific Object of Experiments Heee Reported. 



A large number of experiments made by Atwater and his associates were 

 planned specifically to study some problem dealing with muscular work. The 

 diets were large and one-sided and we find difficulty in considering these experi- 

 ments as being typical of normal resting metabolism. The extensive series of 

 observations on metabolism during inanition 1 is open to the same objection. 

 The fact that there is a marked depletion of the store of glycogen on the first 

 day of fasting is of itself conclusive evidence that the experiments can not 

 be considered as normal metabolism. From time to time in connection with 

 the experimental researches with the respiration calorimeter already reported 

 during the past few years, we have, as suggested above, made a large number 

 of short experiments with different individuals living under what were called 

 normal conditions, in order to study the normal resting metabolism, and the 

 data thus far obtained warrant presentation at this time. It is hoped ere long 

 to supplement these with more data regarding the metabolism of women and 

 children. It has been impossible to extend this series of observations so as to 

 include many people of widely different ages, and most of the experiments 

 have been made with young, healthy men- college students and laboratory 

 assistants. A few experiments were made with women students. The reports 

 of the American researches in the calorimetry of man have been very extended 

 and may be found in a number of the publications of the Office of Experiment 

 Stations of the United States Department of Agriculture and of the Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington. The results are of such general interest that it 

 seemed advisable to include them in a discussion of the results obtained by 

 the special series of experiments here reported. 



On the other hand, the almost instantaneous effect of the ingestion of food 

 on metabolism has been deemed of sufficient importance to justify a special 



1 Benedict, Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication No. 77, 1907. 



