344 



PHYSIOLOGICAL EEGULATIONS 



It is apparent that oxygen deficits, computed in this way, easily 

 exceed the actual oxygen contained in the body. Or, to restore the 

 body to oxygen balance, 10 or 20 times its resting content may be 

 required. This is an instance of a "subzero" increment. Such is 

 to be expected in instances where the component measured can be 

 substituted by or manufactured from some other components. It 

 might have been found for glucose if the total glucose that trans- 

 formed to something else had been measured following insulin in- 

 jection, instead of the net deficit of glucose. Or, if glucose deficit 



-Q08 -0.04 



Oxyqen Load— lifers/ka. 



Fig. 172. Rate of oxygen intake (absorption) in relation to oxygen load. Rates 

 were measured in periods of 0.008 to 0.010 hour following violent physical exercise, 3 

 successive periods being measured in each of 5 tests on 2 subjects. Rates are in liters 

 of oxygen (at NTP)Ailogram of Bo and hour; loads (debts) in liters of oxygenAilo- 

 gram. Data of Hill and Lupton ( '23, p. 146) and Hill, Long and Lupton ( '24, p. 

 467). 



is accompanied by increased metabolism of other substances, then 

 the restoration of each of them to its initial state might be part of 

 the glucose recovery, and all the restoration may be prerequisite to 

 the complete disappearance of the glucose deficit. 



Surprisingly little excess of oxygen is ever contained in the 

 human body, even when in a chamber of compressed oxygen. Since 

 the blood absorbs practically no more oxygen than when in ordi- 

 nary air, great excesses are automatically prevented (except in the 

 air in the lungs). Whatever small excesses do occur, as when oxy- 



