466 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECORD, 



The author concludes that needs for gastric secretion can be met by 20 per 

 cent of the normal reserve of chlorin in the body. He suggests that the sensa- 

 tion of hunger may be influenced by the chlorin content of the cells of the 

 stomach, and that pathological changes reducing the capacity for storing chlorin 

 in these cells may explain certain cases of anorexia and subsequent under- 

 nutrition. The gastric secretion is, however, dependent upon the general con- 

 dition of the subject as well as upon the chlorin supply. Under-nutrition may 

 impair gastric secretion even if the chlorin supply is unaffected, and hence 

 highly restricted diets intended to induce gastric " rest " may defeat their own 

 purpose. 



Influence of certain accessory foodstuflEs (tea, coffee, etc.) on gastric secre- 

 tion, F. C. MooRE and H. E. Allanson {Lancet [London], 1911, II, No. 23, pp. 

 1551, 1552). — Using 15 subjects the author studied the comparative influence 

 of water, tea, coffee, cocoa, milk, albumin water, meat extracts, and alcohol 

 upon gastric digestion. Test breakfasts consisting of fixed amounts of break- 

 fast biscuit and the particular beverage to be tested' 'were given to fasting sub- 

 jects. At the end of an hour the gastric contents were removed and tested for 

 hydrochloric acid, total acidity, and peptic reaction. 



Tea, a weak infusion of caffein, coffee, cocoa, and meat extract all increased 

 the three factors noted, as compared with water. Milk decreased the hydro- 

 chloric acid and the peptic reaction, but increased the total acidity to a marked 

 extent. 



A comparative study of temperature fluctuations in different parts of the 

 human body, F. G. Benedict and E. P. Slack (Carnegie Inst. Washington Puh. 

 155, 1911, pp. V+13, fig. 1). — The purpose of the work here reported was to 

 determine the accurate measurements of body temperature, " the temperature 

 gradient of the body, and esjDecially whether or not the temperature fluctuations 

 occurring in the different parts of the body are uniform." Si^ecially devised 

 thermal-junction thermometers were used in 38 experiments with normal sub- 

 jects, measurements being taken in the rectum and other parts of the body. 

 The authors' general conclusions are expressed as follows : 



" It can be stated that an examination of all the results obtained shows in the 

 temperature curves a remarkable trend toward parallelism, a parallelism that 

 would be exact, there is every reason to believe, if the thermometers could re- 

 main in precisely the same position and if the cavities could remain absolutely 

 constant in their closure. We feel justified, therefore, in summing up this work 

 by stating that, aside from the skin temperature, a rise or fall in rectal tem- 

 perature is accompanied by a corresponding rise or fall in the temperature of 

 all other parts of the body." 



In addition, they observed that body temperature showed a tendency to drop 

 during repose following slight muscular work and also after drinking cold water, 

 while muscular exercise and drinking hot coffee raised it. 



The chemistry and energy metabolism of sleeping children, J. Howland 

 (Hoppe-Seylcr's Ztschr. Physiol. Chem., 74 {1911), No. 1, pp. 1-12; Trans. Assoc. 

 Amer. Physicians, 26 {1911), pp. 399-Jf09; abs. in Proc. Soc. Expt. Biol, and Med., 

 8 {1911), No. 3, pp. 63, 64). — Experiments were made with infants between 3 

 and 7 months old in a respiration calorimeter of the Atwater-Rosa-Benedict 

 type. Food, excretory products, heat production, etc., were studied and the 

 results obtained with healthy children compared with those from ill-nourished 

 or feeble ones. It is only in the case of well-nourished children that the law 

 holds that the heat produced is in proportion to the surface area of the body. 



