550 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH RESTRICTED DIET. 



the average of the groups considerably. However, the two measure- 

 ments W and R employed in measuring the body-surface area of the 

 men on January 27 and February 2 (see pp. 234-237), show that the 

 difference in length of leg was slight, the length for Squad B averaging 

 89.7 cm. and that for Squad A 88.7 cm. The averages of the two groups 

 are accordingly compared in table 145 which shows the decrease in the 

 average length of stride and the increase in the number of steps per 

 minute and per meter for the three tests. 



Table 145. — Comparison of average of distance walked, steps taken, and length of step of 

 Squads B, normal, B 20-day, and A 120-day during walking in the treadmill chamber. 



How close may be the connection between these results and the 

 lowering of the heat output per horizontal kilogrammeter is uncertain. 

 That it may have some bearing is reasonable to suppose. Not a little 

 of the actual work of forward progression consists of lifting the body 

 on the toes as one leg is swung past the other. Benedict and Mursch- 

 hauser^ published some measurements on this toe-lift and found 

 that their Subject I, who weighed 73.1 kg., in walking at a rate of 75.9 

 meters per minute, lifted the body on the average 3.78 meters per 

 minute, which was equivalent to 0.65 large calorie, or 23 per cent of 

 the increase over the standing metabolism. 



Jendrdssik^ has shown that in horizontal walking the body is held 

 longer in equilibrium on one foot, while in grade walking the equilibrium 

 is maintained longer on both feet. It is possible that in these experi- 

 ments, with a lowered nutritional level, the body endeavored to spare 

 itself the effort of maintaining equilibrium on one foot and excessive 

 toe-lift, and found in a shorter and quicker step a means to this end. 

 It is, at least, an interesting coincidence that Fis and Sne, who showed 

 no decrease in length of stride nor increase in number of steps per 

 100 meters on January 28 over January 6, both showed an increase 

 in the heat output per horizontal kilogrammeter. The cases of Har 

 and Liv, who also showed increased cost per horizontal kilogrammeter, 

 are in contrast to the behavior of these two. 



^Benedict and Murschhauser, Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub. No. 231, 1915, p. 80. 

 2 Jendrdssik, Arch. f. Phys., 1904, Supp. Band, p. 287. 



