18 



GASEOUS METABOLISM OF INFANTS. 



The same infant was subsequently studied by Schlossmann and 

 Murschhauser 1 at the ages of 144 days, 284 days, and 380 days. They 

 found no difference in the metabolism per square meter of body-surface 

 and conclude that Rubner's law is correct and that the metabolic 

 processes are proportional to the body-surface. 



Table 7. — Metabolism of an infant (Schlossmann and Murschhauser). 

 (Per square meter of body-surface per hour.) 



The report of the first extensive research made by Schlossmann and 

 Murschhauser appeared in 1910. 2 This is of special interest, inasmuch 

 as the authors recognize at the outset the importance of muscular 

 repose and of determining the basal metabolism. Many valuable sug- 

 gestions as to the selection of infants for such study are incorporated 

 in the report. Observations were made on 3 female infants ; the results 

 of these are given in table 8. The authors conclude that the carbon- 

 dioxide production and the oxygen consumption depend upon the body- 



Table 8. — Results of fasting experiments with infants during approximately absolute rest 

 (Schlossmann and Murschhauser). 



surface, being wholly independent of the age of the subject, and draw 

 the general conclusion that the infant produces per square meter of 

 body-surface about 12 grams of carbon dioxide and consumes about 11 

 grams of oxygen per hour. 



Recognizing the possibility that the environmental temperature may 

 have an effect upon the metabolism of the infant, Schlossmann and 

 Murschhauser discussed this point in 1911, 3 giving the results of exper- 

 iments with an infant in which the temperature of the surrounding 

 atmosphere varied from 16.3° C. to 23.4° C. Another infant was 



Schlossmann and Murschhauser, Biochem. Zeitschr., 1909, 18, p. 499. 

 *Ibid., 1910, 26, p. 14. 

 3 Ibid., 1911, 37, p. 1. 



