824 



tlie carbon of the food. If the carbouic a<-id contains its proper amount 

 of oxygen, tlic amount of oxygen absorbed must exceed that returned 

 in the carbonic acid. 



The carbohydrates — glucose, starch, etc. — contain the exact amount 

 of oxygen necessary for converting all of their hydrogen into water; 

 their combustion, therefore, ])roduces a volnme of carbonic acid equal 

 to that of the oxygen emidoyed; in fact those \vho have investigated 

 the coetlicient of respiration have observed that daring the digi-stion of 

 starchy substances the ratio increases and tends toward unity. In 

 exi)eriments rep(>rted by the author and C. Richi*t in Compt rend., 1S87 

 and 1.S8S, it was observed that this ratio was sometimes greater 

 than unity, indicating that it was not due to a simple combustion of the 

 carbohydrates. ]M(>re recently the author has carefully investigated 

 the ron<litions giving rise to the high ratio thus incidentally observed. 

 It was fonnd that the coefficient of respiration exceeded unity in every 

 case where a ])i'rson fasting was given carbohydrates diluted with a 

 large quantity of water. When a small quantity of gbu-ose (50 grams) 

 dissolved in 1 liter of water was used, the ratio observed in each experi- 

 ment was approximately l.lio. The oxygen contained in the carbonic acid 

 exhaled wasgreater than the oxygen absorbed in respiration, and it seems 

 evident that the «'x<ess is furnished by the carbohydrates themselves, 

 Mhi<h break ni) in the oiganism into carbonic acid and other substances 

 less rich in oxygen. The breaking up is produced in the intestines 

 by a true butyric acid fermentation or otherwise. It has been 

 observed by the anthor and C. Kichet that cail>onic a<id introduced 

 into the intestines was rapidly absorbed and eliminated in respiration. 

 To remove this factor the author stu«lied the (piotient of respiration 

 in a i)erson in whom intestinal fermentation was arrested by continued 

 use of naphthol. 



Suhjei't aft IT lastiiifi 3 liours '0^~ ^'^ 



Suhjcct aftfi- oatiii;! H'20 grains of potatoes q =0.984 



The same jterson nfterwards took eveiy 2 hours a dose of 0.5 gram 

 of jmre /:^-napthol; he also took a siippkMnentary dose at each meal. 

 Nineteen hours after the tirst dose, after a fast of ln)urs, his coenieient 

 of resi>iration was 0.S5; after a meal comi>osed of potut4)es S20 grams, 

 water .'iO gnims, and salt .JO grams the (((effieient wasO.tKSd. Forty- 



four hours alter the lirst dose, while lastiiig,-Yv-:-^0.i4. Twohonrsatr«'r, 



a meal composed of \:\ kg. of ]>otatoes in sonj* and .">(»() grams of watei-, 



CO 



-j-v— =1.0S. At the end of G!> Inmrs from the lirst tlose (having taken 



CO- 



35 grams of naphtind), while fasting, -/^ =0.S; after absori)tion of 



glucose, .. "1.10. The influence of na])thol on the evolution of car- 

 bonic acid was not ai»pareut, which goes to show that this evolution is 



