220 REPORTS ON INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



and Mr. T. M. Carpenter will be assigned to Mr. O'Hara, who will devote 

 his entire time to this work. 



INVESTIGATIONS IN PROGRESS. 

 METABOLISM DURING PROLONGED INANITION. 



The most extensive single research undertaken in the laboratory in the 

 past year has been a study of prolonged inanition on A. L., a native of Malta, 

 who volunteered to come to this country and subject himself to a long fast. 

 The plans for a fast had been developing for some years following the com- 

 '^ pletion of the research on inanition carried out with the aid of a grant from 



the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Wesleyan University, Middle- 

 town, Connecticut. When the final arrangements were completed for the 

 arrival of the subject, practically the whole staff of the laboratory was con- 

 centrated upon this study. The subject slept every night in the bed calo- 

 rimeter, thus securing on the average ii to 12 hours' of continuous measure- 

 ments of heat, carbon-dioxide production, oxygen consumption, water vapor- 

 ization, body temperature, pulse-rate, and respiration-rate. During the day 

 he was subjected to numerous tests with the respiration apparatus, and ex- 

 tensive investigations of the composition of the blood, clinical examinations, 

 microscopical and complete chemical examination of the urine, psychological 

 tests, and anthropometric measurements. An extensive series of photographs 

 was also made from week to week which shows the changes in weight and 

 the degree of emaciation. A most interesting series of X-ray photographs 

 was taken by Dr. Francis H. Williams, of the X-ray department of the Bos- 

 ton City Hospital, at the end of inanition. The subject continued for 31 days 

 without food, drinking only distilled water. The laboratory staff will be 

 occupied for several months in making the complete analyses and the compu- 

 tations of the results of the experiment. The material is now being pre- 

 pared for publication and will shortly be published by the Institution. 



METABOLISM AS INFLUENCED BY SEVERE MUSCULAR WORK. 



Owing to the enthusiastic cooperation of Dr. E. P. Cathcart, 1911-12 

 Research Associate of the Institution attached to this laboratory, a long 

 series of observations was made on a professional bicycle rider with regard 

 to the influence of prolonged and excessive muscular activity upon the char- 

 acter and the amounts of metabolism. Using a modified form of respiration 

 apparatus. Dr. Cathcart was able to secure definite information with regard 

 to the alterations in the character of the metabolism during work, and like- 

 wise studied the total metabolism as indicated by the measurements of the 

 amounts of oxygen consumed and the carbon dioxide produced. By means 

 of a carefully calibrated bicycle ergometer, it was possible to draw deduc- 

 tions with regard to the mechanical efficiency of man. These results are now 

 being prepared for publication. 



