768 . EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



fat or carbohydrates are supplied, tlie formation of glycogen in tlie liver ceases 

 or is reduced to a minimum. If, however, the ration consists of an excessive 

 amount of grape sugar, the glycogen formation is greatly increased. 



The effect of a naeat diet upon the coats of rats, with and without a supply 

 of lime. K. I. Spp.iggs (Jour, /'/(//i/o/., S6 (1907), No. 1, i). AT//).— The author 

 found that rats fed exclusively on meat had rough and abnormal coats, as had 

 been previously noted, but that when lime is added to the diet the coats 

 "though not al)S()lutely normal are very little affected." 



The nutritive value of gelatin. I, Substitution of gelatin for proteid, 

 with maintenance of nitrogen equilibrium at the fasting level, J. R. Murlin 

 {Amer. Jour. Physiol., 19 {1901), No. 3, vp. 283-31S). — Under certain condi- 

 tions (supplying a large proportion of the energy of the ration in the form of 

 carbohydrates being especially favorable) it was found possible in experiments 

 with men and dogs to replace part of the proteid nitrogen with gelatin nitrogen. 



" The i)ower of the (jrganism to utilize gelatin as a substitute for proteid in 

 maintaining nitrogen equilibrium depends to some extent on the proteid con- 

 dition of the body at the time of the experiment. The lower this proteid con- 

 dition becomes the more strongly does the organism lay claim to gelatin as a 

 means of protecting its living substance. Herein appears a biological adapta- 

 tion of no small imjwrtance." 



Sugar metabolism, 11. McGuigan {Jour. Biol. Vlicm., 3 {1907), No. 3, I'roc., 

 pp. AAA17/, AAA17//). — According to the author, work on the oxidation of 

 sugars in vitro and their metabolism in the body sul)stantiates the clinical as- 

 sertion that levulose is more easily oxidized than glucose and that it may be 

 used in the body when glucose can not. The order of ease of oxidation of a 

 number of sugars is as follows, levulose being the most easily oxidized : Levu- 

 lose, galactose, glucose, maltose, and saccharose. 



The action of caffein on the capacity for muscular work, W. II. 11. Rivers 

 and H. N. Webber {Jour. Pln/.-tiol.. 31) {1907), No. 1, pp. 33-J,7, figs. 5). — The ex- 

 perimental data which they report, according to the authors, confirm the conclu- 

 sion of previous workers that "caffein pr<_)duces an increase in the capacity for 

 muscular work, this increase being not due to the various psychical factors 

 which it has been the especial object of our work to exclude. . . . 



" It is well known that caffein acts on the isolated neuro-muscular mechan- 

 ism, and we know from experiments on the capacity for mental work that it has 

 an effect on central activity. The chief interest of our experiments is that 

 they provide definite evidence of the presence of this double action in the case 

 of the capacity for muscular work." 



The laws of enei-gy in human physiology, W. Camerer {Heparntc from 

 Jahrb. Kiiidcrlicilk., Gii {190()), No. ,!. pp. /,.>.';-/,s'7).— The author has summar- 

 ized and discussed results and conclusions from German investigations on 

 human nutrition, considering especially experiments on resting, fasting men 

 and animals at different air temperatures, the transformation of energy in pro- 

 portion to the body surface area, and the influence of bodily activity and diet 

 on the transformation of energy. 



ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



Feeding farm animals, T. Shaw {New York (iiid Loiidnn, 1907. pp. X+BSG, 

 pis. 2, figs. 11). — In this handbook the author discusses live stock and success- 

 ful farming, principles which govern the selection of farm animals, their food, 

 development, digestion, and assimilation, the characteristics of different food 

 !«tuffs, meat and milk production, general feeding, and related questions. 



