270 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The man-machine — the remarkable perfection of the human system as a 

 mechanism, J. B. IIubkr (-SV-/. Amer., JO.'/ {lit 11), No. 3, pp. 60, 1.1, fif/s. .'/). — An 

 ilhistraled description of aijparutus aiul methods used iu J. Aniar's experiments 

 noted on page 269. 



Man's power — testing the energy expended by the human machine {III us. 

 London News [Amer. Ed.], J,8 {1911), No. 1238, p. 107, figs. 2).— See page 269. 



The respiratory exchange as affected by body position, L. E. Emmes and 

 J. A. RicHE {Amer. Jour. Physiol., 21 {1911), No. J,, pp. 1,06-1,13).— In general, 

 the authors found that the pulse rate lying down was on an average 03, the 

 carbon dioxid excretion 209 cc, and the oxygen consumption 236 cc. per minute. 

 With a subject in a sittiug position the pulse rate was 71, the carbon dioxid 

 excretion 218 cc, and the oxygen consumption 254 cc. per minute. 



" Inasmuch as the oxygen consumption is commonly considered as the best 

 index of metabolism, it is seen that our experiments indicate an increase in 

 metabolism amounting to 8 per cent " when the metabolism in the sitting posi- 

 tion is compared with that when the subject is lying down. 



In their discussion of the data reported the authors point out tbat for experi- 

 mental purposes, when metabolism at a given condition of body rest is to be 

 determined, it is of value to know, " as a result of experiments with the respira- 

 tion apparatus, that the metabolism of a subject when sitting absolutely quiet 

 in a chair, without extraneous muscular activity, represents a metabolism 8 per. 

 cent greater than that of a subject lying on a couch, with similar muscular rest. 

 The difference in metabolism is then due, primarily, to the difference in the 

 internal muscular activity necessitated by the sustaining of body parts. This 

 is in conformity with the well-known fact that the pulse I'ate of an individual 

 when sitting is always noticeably higher than when he is lying down. From 

 these tests we could infer that if it were possible to so supiwrt the body of the 

 subject iu a sitting position that the pulse rate would be no greater than when 

 the subject was lying down, the metabolism would be essentially the same in 

 both positions." 



Does lecithin influence growth? A. J. Goldfarb {Arch. Entwicld. Mecli. 

 Organ., 29 {1910), No. 2, pp. 255-21',). — The author's conclusions, from a series 

 of experiments with small animals (tadpoles and frogs, sea urchins' eggs, kit- 

 tens, and guinea pigs), show that there is no clear evidence of growth stimula- 

 tion as a result of the administration of lecithin. 



The influence of cold baths on the glycogen content of man, G. LusK 

 {Amer. Jour. Physiol., 21 {1911). No. 5, pp. 421-1,31). — The experiments 

 reported were made with the aid of the small apparatus for studying the 

 respiratory exchange devised by F. G. Benedict and previously noted (E. S. B., 

 21, p. 665). 



The conclusions drawn by the author follow : 



" Immersion of normal men in cold baths at a temperature of 10° when the 

 intestine is free from carbohydrates induces shivering, which causes a rapid 

 utilization of body glycogen, as determined by a fall in the respiratory quotient 

 to the fasting level. In one very muscular individual this result could not be 

 obtained. 



" In one individual in whom the shivering had been severe, a quotient of 0.67 

 and another of 0.62 were found during subsequent periods of rest, which corre- 

 spond to those observed during rest after a period of exhaustive exercise 

 (glycogen formation from protein). 



" The greatest increase in heat production which was brought about by the 

 cold l)atbs was ISl per cent above the normal. The urine remained free from 

 albumin and from sugar." 



