392 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The value of such a metliod in cjuestions conntH'tod with acidosis 

 is obvious. 



In a paper entitled "The mineral matter required by the human 

 hotly," Sherman" summarizes the results of his investi«^ations with 

 iron referred to above and of similar studies with calcium and phos- 

 phorus carried on in cooperation with the Office of Experiment Sta- 

 tions, which are not yet reported in full. The ilata are summarized 

 and discussed with special reference to the kinds and amounts of 

 mineral matter required by the human body. From a comparison 

 of the computed amounts of ash constituents supplied by 20 American 

 dietaries selected as typical with the results of available metabolism 

 experiments it appears, accordino; to the author, that the amount of 

 iron in the diet runs approximately parallel to the amount of ])rotein, 

 and that there is usually neither greater nor less likelihood of deficiency 

 of the one than of the other. In the case of lime, however, the vari- 

 ations in the individual dietaries were much greater, and in nearly 

 half the cases selected for comparison the diet appeared to furnish less 

 lime than was required for the maintenance of equilibrium in many 

 of the metabolism experiments carried on by the author. In the 

 case of phosphorus nearly one-third of the dietaries summarized ap- 

 peared to be deficient when judged by the results of the metabolism 

 experiments. 



From this it would appear that in the selection of food and in the planning of diet- 

 aries at least as much attention should be paid to the amount of calcium, phosphorus, 

 and iron as to the amounts of protein. In many cases the dietary may be readily 

 improved with respect to the ash constituents by the substitution of milk or cheese 

 for a part of the meat and afreer use of fruits and vegetables in place of a part of the 

 sugar and starch. 



In experiments by H. W. Goodall and E. P. Joslin'' an ash-free diet 

 of specially prepared egg albumen, olive oil, and sugar was fed to 

 two healthy men for thirteen and nine days, respectively. The 

 results are said to give no support to the view that "the withdrawal 

 of salts from the diet will cause an acidosis of the acetone variety." 



Reference might be made to numerous physiological chemical 

 studies, but the character and extent of the work is such that it de- 

 serves independent treatment. 



DIETASY STANDARDS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS. 



Considerable discussion has followed the publication of the results 

 of the elaborate work of Chittenden " and his conclusions that the 

 best bodily condition is obtained by the use of a diet containing 

 hardly more than one-half the protein called for by the commonly 



a Lake Placid Conf. Home Econ. Proc, 9 (1907), p. 114. 



^ Trans. Assoc. Amer. Physicians, 2.3 (1908), p. 92. 



c Physiol Econ. in Nutrition: New York, 1904; Nutrition of Man: New York, 1907. 



