92 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NEW-BORN INFANT. 



Since, however, infants of approximately the same weight but of 

 varying length may differ in the degree of nourishment, the relationship 

 between the weight and the length of the infants may be of significance 

 in this connection; the weight per unit of length may thus be a better 

 basis for comparison than the actual weight. The values have there- 

 fore been compared on this basis in figure 3, in which the respiratory 

 quotients have been plotted against the weight per unit of length. 

 Using the average respiratory quotient of 0.80 as a base-line, we find 

 no distinct tendency toward a grouping of the values. Such differences 

 as may be apparent are not sufficiently striking to allow us to make any 

 other deduction than that the respiratory quotient appears to be abso- 

 lutely independent of the weight and the state of nutrition. Unfortu- 

 nately our hospital and other data do not provide definite information 

 regarding the degree of nutrition of the mothers. No relationship can 

 therefore be established between the nature of the katabolism of the 

 new-born infant in the first few hours after birth and the state of nutri- 

 tion of the mother. 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AS TO CHARACTER OF KATABOLISM 

 OF NEW-BORN INFANTS. 



From the results obtained in our experiments we are unable to verify 

 Hasselbalch's conclusion that the metabolism of the new-born infant 

 in the first few hours is chiefly of carbohydrate material. It is true 

 that in practically none of our observations were we able to secure data 

 so soon after birth as did Hasselbalch. Thus, while he frequently 

 records observations beginning 30 to 45 minutes after birth and, indeed, 

 in one instance 15 minutes after birth, our values were rarely obtained 

 in observations less than an hour after birth, and for the most part 

 they were 2 or more hours after birth. On the other hand, the time 

 relations in our observations are fully comparable to the fragmentary 

 data published by Bailey and Murlin, since in only two of then* cases 

 were observations made as early as 6 hours after birth, and there was 

 but one period in each case. 



If we examine the data published by Hasselbalch, particularly the 

 values given in table 2 (see page 21), we find that a great decrease 

 in the respiratory quotient is accompanied by a very large decrease in 

 the total katabolism as indicated by the carbon-dioxide production. 

 Thus in his observation No. 17 the carbon-dioxide production per kilo- 

 gram per hour was 344 c.c. and the respiratory quotient was 0.933, 

 while the next period showed a carbon-dioxide production per kilogram 

 per hour of only 275 c.c. and a respiratory quotient of 0.854. A similar 

 relationship between the variations in the metabolism as indicated by 



