HISTORY AND PLAN OF RESEARCH. 27 



the heat production could be found, normal standards derived, and 

 the basal energy requirements determined. A sufficiently large num- 

 ber of children were studied to obtain reasonably complete data for 

 all ages between birth and puberty. In addition to this general 

 method of research, the problem of the energy requirements during 

 the period of rapid growth in the first years of life was also studied 

 by making observations on the same individual at intervals over a num- 

 ber of years. In all, 23 children were thus studied for periods of a 

 few months to three or four years. The data gathered in this research 

 thus provide information not only as to the energy requirements of a 

 large number of children, but on the energy requirements of the same 

 child at varying ages. 



In our earlier publications 1 we have already acknowledged the cour- 

 tesy extended to us by the Trustees of the Massachusetts General Hos- 

 pital and the Boston Lying-in Hospital. We wish also to acknowledge 

 at this point the courtesy of the Trustees of the Directory for Wet- 

 Nurses and the Trustees of the New England Home for Little Wan- 

 derers in allowing us to carry on these investigations in their insti- 

 tutions. Especially do we appreciate the hearty cooperation of the 

 superintendent of the latter institution, Dr. Frederic H. Knight. 

 Many of the observations were made possible through the individual 

 interest of Miss Mary A. Slade, a teacher at the New England Home 

 for Little Wanderers, who was very successful in arousing the interest 

 of the children in the work. Finally, too much credit can not be 

 given to the technical skill, devotion, and faithfulness of Miss Alice 

 Johnson, Mrs. Dorothy A. Peabody, and Miss Inza A. Boles. 



1 Benedict and Talbot, Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub. No. 201, 1914; Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub. 

 No. 233, 1915. 



