150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are concerned (except perhaps the pig and a few others) , that the 

 qiumtit}' of fat formed will always be proportional to the amount of 

 albuminoids present. If now, having a large quantity of carbohy- 

 drates present we increase the albuminoids somewhat, immediately* 

 an increased formation and deposition of fat takes place. It is 

 found that the fat formed in the body is not usually greater than 

 that which could be formed by the transformation of the albumin- 

 oids present. In order to have a thoix^ughh* economical use of a 

 ration it is not sufficient to give large quantities of albuminoids and 

 carbohydi-ates, but a proper relation must exist between them unless 

 we wish to lose a part of either one of the nutritive constituents. 

 If there is an}' lack of albuminoids but little fat can be formed on 

 account of the absence of the fat forming principle, if they be pres- 

 ent too abundantly, the transformations in the org^mism becomes too 

 rapid and some of them are destroyed without aiding in the forma- 

 tion of fat. By poverty in carbohydrates the decomposition of 

 albuminoids is not sufficiently hindered and not all of the fat formed 

 is accumulated. 



Production of Muscular Power. 

 The old theory that muscular activit}' had a wearing effect ui>on 

 the oi-gans emploj^ed, due to an increased decomix>sitiou of albumin, 

 has been invalidated by the experiments which have been canied on 

 at the Physiological Institute of Munich, proving that work does not 

 induce a gi'eater wasting of the albumin of the oi"gans than does rest. 

 The organs in use during muscular exercise, may, owing to an influx 

 of blood, induce an increased decomposition of albuminoids, but the 

 passive state of the rest of the bod}" re-establishes an equilibrium, 

 so that the quantity- of albuminoids decomposed during activity or 

 rest is about the same. On the other hand, there is a greater destruc- 

 tion of fats and carbohjdrates when at work than when at i-est, more 

 oxygen is absorbed by respiration, the production of aniu)al heat is 

 increased, a great amount of which is lost owing to the active evap- 

 oration of water from the body. Experiments made upon a sti'oug 

 dog, subject to quite a large amount of work, showed that the quan- 

 tities of decomposed albumin were onl}' slightly greater during this 

 labor than when at rest, and this small increase in the amount of 

 albumin decomposed is to be accounted for not as the result of 

 activity, but on account of the large quantities of water drunk b}' 

 the animal, which as we have seen facilitates the decomposition of 

 the albumin. 



