531 



It lias been also shown that when s'l.y^^o^'") sarkosin, benzamid, 

 tyrosiu, tauiiu, etc., were fed the breaking down of the albnminoid 

 materials of the body increased in a marked degree, and that these 

 snbstances do not ])ossess the economic action attribnted to asparagin. 



Experiments by the anthor and V>. Schnize* in whi(;h ainido-snccinic 

 acid (aspartic acid), and amido-succiuamic acid were each added to the 

 ibod showed that like qnantities of these two amide bodies do not pro- 

 duce like eft'ects; in other words, that the action is dependent ni)on 

 whether the amide group (NHa) is contained in the radical or in the 

 carboxyl. 



Is the action of ammonium salts similar to that of asparagin when fed with 

 a ration deficient in albuminoids and rich in carbohydrates? H, Weiske and 

 E. Flechsig {Journ.f. Landic, 38 (ISdO), j)p. 137-149).— To further test 

 this question a normal, adult sheep, weighing about 110 pounds, was 

 fed from June 15 to July 15, 000 grams of hay, 250 grams of starch, 

 50 grams of cane sugar, and 8 grams of salt per day; that is, a ration 

 deficient in albuminoids, but rich in carbohydrates. June 30 and July 

 1 and 2- in addition to the regular food the animal received daily 500 

 c. c. of a solution of ammonium carbonate and ammonium acetate, con- 

 taining 4.7 grams of nitrogen, which were fed by means of a funnel 

 and rubber tube. The animal remained during these 3 days in an 

 entirely normal state, except that on the third day it did not consume 

 its food quite as readily. The ammonia was then dropped and the 

 feeding resumed as before. The average amount of nitrogen contained 

 in the excreta for 5 days previous to feeding ammonium salts was 3.05 

 grams per day ; June 30 the excreta contained 4.42 grams of nitrogen ; 

 July 1, 0.74 grams; July 2, 0.98 grams; July 3, 4.28 grams, and nntil 

 July 12 the amount of nitrogen excreted daily was larger than that 

 previous to the feeding of the salts. After this the average was 3.01 

 grams of nitrogen i)er day, or nearly the same as before the ammonia 

 salts were added to the feed. From June 30 to July 11 the total amount 

 of nitrogen given off w^as 49.33 grams. If the amount of nitrogen fed 

 in the ammonium salts (3 x 4.7 = 14.10 grams) be subtracted from the 

 total amount of nitrogen given off from June 30 to July 11 (49.33 grams), 

 the remainder (35.23 grams) gives an average daily excretion of 2.94 

 grams of nitrogen, nearly the same amount as that excreted previous to 

 the feeding of the ammonium salts, indicating that these salts all i)asscd 

 off in the excreta instead of serving a's nutriment to the animal. The 

 (piantities of sulphur given off also go to show that there were no 

 albuminoids laid on the body in consequence of the nitrogen fed in the 

 form of ammonium salts. The authors conclude that ammonium salts 

 do not act as albuminoid economizers in the way in which asparagin 

 does; and that this action peculiar to asparagin is, therefore, not due 

 merely to the formation of ammonia from it within the organism. 



*Zeitscli. f. Phyaiologie, Bd. 20, p. 277. 



