FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 471 



experimental evidence, tliat tlie plienomena of fat transportation which can be 

 detected with the microscope represent onlj' a part of the entire process. 



A strength and endurance test, C. F. Langworthy (Science, n. ser., 33 

 (1911), No. 833, PI). 708-711). — In a contest entered into for a wager 48 men 

 endeavored to carry on the bacli a weight of 100 lbs. for approximately 10 

 miles. Of this number 6 completed the task, while the others dropped out at 

 various stages. The information collected from a number of the men showed 

 that they lived on a simple mixed diet. The energy exi^ended in moving the 

 body and carrying the load over the course was calculated to be 1,137 calories 

 on an average for the 6 successful contestants, of which amount 707 calories 

 would represent the energy expenditure for motion of forward progression and 

 430 calories the energy expended in jnoving the load. 



Similar calculations for individuals and for groups are reported. 



It seems fair to conclude that the men who engaged in the contest were, as 

 regards their food, their occupation, and their general living conditions, repre- 

 sentative of a very large group of our population who are living comfortably 

 and meeting their daily obligations in a creditable manner, who are, in fact, 

 living the average life of the average man, with its varied activities and 

 interests. 



" In so far as the recorded data throw light on the subject, they indicate 

 that the average man living the average life is capable of meeting body demands 

 of considerable severity — a conclusion which perhaps few would question, but 

 which it is interesting to consider in the light of numerical data." 



Effects on m^en at rest of breathing oxygen-rich gas mixtures, F. G. Bene- 

 dict and H. L. Higgins (Amer. Jour. Physiol., 28 (1911), No. 1, pp. 1-28, fig. 

 1). — From tests with normal individuals lying down at complete muscular rest 

 12 hours after the last meal and breathing air mixtures containing 40, 60, and 

 90 per cent oxygen, respectively, it was found " that there is no apparent dif- 

 ference between the metabolism as indicated by the gaseous exchange (i. e., 

 the carbon dioxid output, oxygen consumption, and respiratory quotient) and 

 the metabolism when breathing ordinary air; that there is no change in the 

 respiration, either as to character, depth, or frequency, as compared with the 

 same factors when breathing ordinary air; [and] that the pulse rate is lower 

 with oxygen-rich mixtures than when breathing ordinary air; furthermore, 

 that the higher the percentage of oxygen breathed (up to 90 per cent), the lower 

 the pulse." 



A respiration apparatus for the determination of the carbon dioxid pro- 

 duced by small animals, F. G. Benedict and J. Homans (Amer. Jour. Physiol., 

 28 (1911), No. 1, pp. 29-Jf8, dgms. 2). — A respiration apparatus of a size suit- 

 able for experiments with small animals has been constructed and is described. 

 A kymograph is used in connection with it to indicate the muscular activity of 

 the animal. 



According to the authors, the closed-chamber method for determining carbon 

 dioxid in short experiments with small animals is to be strongly recommended 

 for a preliminary survey of many research problems in animal metabolism, 

 though it is not offered as a substitute for direct determinations of oxygen and 

 heat. 



Handbook of physiological methods. — Nutrition, edited by R. Tigerstedt 

 (Handiuch der Physioloylschen Methodik. Erndhrung. Leipsic, 1911, vol. 1, pt. 

 3, pp. 228, figs. 137). — Three papers are included in this handbook, namely: 

 Metabolism, by W. Caspar! and N. Zuntz; Respiration Apparatus, by R. Tiger- 

 stedt ; and Calorimetry, by M. Rubner, each of which provides a historical and 

 critical summary of work which has been accomplished. 

 7717°— No. 5—11 6 



