PULSE-RATE. 



439 



cycle duration immediately after walking was greater for the two diet 

 squads than for the five normal men. 



The most apparent difference between these five curves and those 

 for Squads A and B, given in figures 95 to 100, inclusive, is that they 

 are flatter and do not show such wide fluctuations. It should be 

 remembered in this connection, however, that the pulse-rates of these 

 normal subjects were faster than those of Squads A and B; conse- 

 quently, in the 60 seconds of the walking record, there are more cycles 

 to plot and the individual differences will not be so large. Bro (figure 

 98) and Tom (figure 100) had pulse-rates more nearly like those of the 

 normals, and the curves for these men show more similarity to those 

 of the normal subjects. Moreover, a change of the same increment 

 with a pulse of a slow rate has a greater percentage value than with a 

 pulse of faster rate. Before it can be definitely stated that one group 

 shows greater fluctuations than another, these variations should be 

 compared on some form of percentage basis. An attempt to do this 

 is made in table 97, in which the average minimum and maximum 

 pulse-cycle lengths in the walking and standing portions of the transi- 

 tion records have been noted, and the percentage increase of the maxi- 

 mum over the minimum duration is given. This takes into account 

 the two extremes but does not allow for the possibility of more frequent 

 variations occurring with one group than with another. The figures 

 in the table show that in the walking transition the average difference 

 between these two extremes is least with the five normals and greatest 

 with Squad A on a 120-day restricted diet. In the standing transition 

 following walking. Squad B has the smallest percentage difference, and 

 the five normals have the largest difference. 



It would appear, then, that during the walking transition Squads 

 A and B had not only larger pulse-cycle variations than the normals 

 had, but when calculated as in table 97, the percentage changes were 

 also larger. For the transition from walking to standing, the actual 



