288 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



nutrients resulted, at first, in an increased excretion of nitrogen in the urine and inferentially 

 a greater catabolism of protein, but after 5 or 6 days the output of nitrogen fell to what seemed 

 to be the amount with ordinary diet, and when the alcohol was removed and diet thus reduced 

 there was an increase in the output. These results implied that the alcohol at first failed to protect 

 protein but was afterwards able to do so. There was, however, but one series of experiments 

 with this .subject. With J. F. S., also an abstainer, the alcohol periods covered only 3 days, during 

 which there was in each case an increased nitrogen catabolism. On the whole these experiments 

 accord with the belief that with some persons, especially those who are not accustomed to the use 

 of alcohol, it may fail to protect protein: but this action is temporary and the more permanent 

 influence is to protect protein. 



0. That a part of the potential energy of the alcohol was transformed into the kinetic energy 

 of muscular work these experiments do not prove, though they make it highly probable. They 

 imply that, so far as the utilization of the total energy of the diet was concerned, there was a 

 slight advantage in economy in favor of the ordinary as compared with the alcohol diet, especially 

 when the subjects were at hard muscular work, but the difference was inside the limits of experi- 

 mental error and too small to be of practical consequence. On the average it was less than 1 per 

 cent of the total energy and hardly reached 5 per cent of the energy of the alcohol. From this 

 it follows that the energy of the alcohol was utilized nearly if not quite as well as that of the fats, 

 sugar, and starch which it replaced. 



10. We repeat that there is a very essential difference between the transformation of the 

 potential energy of alcohol into the kinetic energy of heat, or of either internal or external 

 muscular work, and the usefulness or harmfulness of alcohol as a part of ordinary diet. Regarding 

 this latter question the experiments bring no more evidence than they do regarding the influence 

 of alcohol upon the nervous system or its general effect upon health and welfare. 



