BASAL KATABOLISM. 



113 



of the infants who showed a large increase in the heat-production 

 during the maximum period, using the oxygen consumption as a basis 

 of calculation. These are compared in table 18 with the values pre- 

 viously calculated from the carbon-dioxide production. As will be 

 seen by reference to this table, the values found upon this basis vary 

 but slightly from those computed from the carbon-dioxide production. 

 For example, the large increment of 211 per cent shown by infant No. 

 89 in the maximum period on the basis of the carbon-dioxide production 

 becomes 219 per cent when the calculation is made on the basis of the 

 oxygen consumption, while with infant No. 13 the increment of 155 

 per cent becomes 137 per cent on the basis of the oxygen consumption. 

 All of the other computations lie distinctly inside these limits. 



TABLE 18. Periods of maximum heat-production computed 

 from the oxygen consumption. 



average respiratory quotient for the observation was 

 used in the computation as was done in computing 

 the values in table 17. 

 2 See table 17. 



In view of this comparison, we may therefore have every confidence 

 in the values given in table 17, and fairly conclude that with the aver- 

 age infant the metabolism may, on the average, be increased approxi- 

 mately 65 per cent above the minimum value, with the possibility of an 

 increase of 200 per cent, or even more when there is extreme restlessness 

 and crying. 



PULSE-RATE. 



It has been clearly demonstrated in previous researches in this labora- 

 tory that the pulse-rate is one of the best indices of the internal mus- 

 cular activity or degree of cellular stimulus, and this fact was taken 

 into consideration in selecting the minimum metabolism periods. In 

 the earlier investigation the relationship between the pulse-rate and 



