NITROGEN BALANCE. 



351 



duced diet, until January 27, inclusive, without regard to the cutaneous 

 loss or to the uncontrolled days, has been computed for all of the sub- 

 jects in Squad A and recorded in table 71. Special attention must 



Table 71.- 



-Total loss of nitrogen and average daily loss of nitrogen, Squad A, 

 October 4 to January 27, inclusive. 



be paid to the number of days that the subjects were actually studied • 

 Thus we have for Fre but 20 days, for Kon, 57 days, for Spe, 61 days* 

 and for Tom, 78 days. The other men were studied from 83 to 87 

 days. Disregarding the value for Fre, we find that with the members 

 of Squad A, who were longest studied, the total nitrogen loss ranges 

 from a minimum of 48.66 grams with Tom to a maximum of 252.85 

 grams with Pec. Every member of the squad, other than Fre and 

 Tom, lost more than 130 grams in this period, and 3 lost more than 230 

 grams. The average loss of nitrogen per day is given in the last col- 

 umn of the table and shows a minimum value of 0.62 gram with Tom 

 and a maximum value of 4.09 grams with Kon. At least 10 men showed 

 losses of over 1 .8 grams per day. When it is considered that these losses 

 continued in most instances for a period of 80 days or more, the total 

 loss is really remarkable. The small loss recorded for Fre is accounted 

 for by the fact that he was but 20 days on diet and needs no further 

 discussion. The largest average loss, that of Kon, is possibly explained 

 by the fact that he began late and was purposely put upon a very 

 restricted diet in order to reduce the body-weight as rapidly as possible. 

 The small loss with Tom is, in part, explained by his small body-weight 

 as compared with the other subjects. His activity was also the least, 

 and the total reduction in diet was not so low per kilogram of body- 

 weight as with many of the other men. Furthermore, on account of 

 his feeling of malaise throughout January, resulting from an operation 

 during the Christmas recess, a rigid dietetic restriction did not seem 

 possible with him. The difficulty experienced in lowering his body- 



