390 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH RESTRICTED DIET. 



may be stated that, from the data in table 81, the pulse-rate was 

 reduced approximately one-fourth. 



Such a striking change in pulse-rate is wholly inconceivable and, 

 indeed, outside the experience of any chnicians with whom we have 

 conferred. Furthermore, the literature rarely mentions pulse-rates 

 as low as were frequently observed in these series, except with pri- 

 marily pathological cases, and no study of general malnutrition or 

 undernutrition with which we are familiar indicates such profound 

 alterations. We evidently have to deal here with a distinct physio- 

 logical level, with accompanying conservation of circulatory activity 

 or, as subsequent discussion of the total metabolism will show, the low 

 pulse level is the natural consequence of a lowered metabolism and 

 hence shows a marked decrease in the circulatory activity. In any 

 event, as indications of the pulse-rate of young men who are apparently 

 normal, active and healthy, carrying out with no appreciable reduc- 

 tion in stamina or vigor their intellectual and physical collegiate 

 activities, these values are, we believe, without comparison anywhere 

 in physiological literature. 



The tendency for the average minimum pulse-rate to coincide with 

 the minimum food intake and minimum weight may be noted by 

 comparing the dates of the average minimum pulse-rates, namely, 

 November 17 to 25, with the body-weight curves and with the food 

 intake at this time. The subsequent tendency to increase, which 

 became marked during January, is undoubtedly due in part to the 

 freedom allowed the men during the Christmas vacation. On the first 

 day following the Christmas recess Can, Kon, and Tom showed their 

 highest pulse-rates for the whole experiment, i. e., 68, 61, and 74, 

 respectively. With all of the subjects except Moy and Bro, the first 

 pulse-rates observed after the Christmas recess were markedly higher 

 than the last rate registered prior to the recess. This increment in 

 the case of Can was 18, Kon 20, Gar 11, Gul 9, Mon 6, Pea 9, Pec 5, 

 Tom 25, and Vea 10. With Bro there was a decrease of 2 and with 

 Moy of 3. As a prime indication of the increased metabolism, these 

 increases in pulse-rate may be directly ascribed to the uncontrolled 

 diet during the Christmas recess. 



AVERAGE DAILY PULSE-RATE. SQUAD A. 



Although the legitimacy may be questioned of comparing daily 

 average values when the number of subjects used for averaging varied, 

 as they do here, since Fre, Kon, and Spe did not serve for the whole 

 period and the daily pulse records are not continuous, even with the 

 other subjects, we have for purposes of comparison included the daily 

 averages in table 80. It will be recalled that the pulse-rate was usually 

 recorded for 9 subjects each morning and that on the few mornings 

 following the experiments in the group respiration chamber in Boston, 



