570 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 88 



I. The effects of base and acid. — "Administration of base or acid produced 

 no significant effect upon the balance of nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, and 

 phosphorus in the dog. Administration of hydrochloric acid increased the 

 urinary excretion of calcium and thereby altered the relation of calcium to 

 magnesium in the urine. The calcium contained in milk was more effective 

 than soluble calcium lactate in producing calcium retention. Administration 

 of large do.ses of alkali bicarbonate to a human diabetic did not decrease the 

 urinary output of calcium." 



II. The effect of diets poor in calcium. — This article gives experimental data 

 which show that diets poor in calcium are not conductive to a positive calcium 

 balance even when an abundance of nitrogenous food is available. 



III. The effect of fat and fatty acid derivatives. — This article discusses the 

 experimental feeding of dogs to show the relation of fat and fatty acid deriva- 

 tives upon the utilization of calcium and magnesium. " It is evident from the 

 data presented that poor utilization of fats or fatty acids may increase the ex- 

 cretion of lime in the feces and prevent the storage of calcium even when 

 the calcium intake is comparatively abundant." 



The metabolism of sulphur.— II, The influence of small accounts of cystin 

 on the balance of nitrogen in dogs maintained on a low protein diet, H. B. 

 Lewis (Jour. Biol. Chem., 31 (1911), No. 2, pp. 363-377, fig. J).— Continuing pre- 

 vious work (E. S. R., 35, p. 863), experimental feedings of dogs maintained 

 on standard diets of low protein content but of ample calorific value and given 

 small amounts of cystin are reported. The conclusion is reached " that the 

 addition of small amounts of cystin to the diet of dogs on a low protein diet 

 diminished the loss of nitrogen from the body and favorably influenced the 

 nitrogen balance. This is interpreted to be the result of a specific demand 

 for cystin for metabolic purposes, since tyrosin and glycocoU added to the 

 diet under like conditions of experimentation did not diminish the nitrogen 

 loss or influence the condition of nitrogenous equilibrium." 



A study of the effect of hydrochloric acid on the mineral excretion of 

 dogs, R. L. Stehle (Jour. Biol. Chem., 31 (1917), No. 2, pp. 461--i70, figs. 6).— 

 The conclusions reached by this experiment are that " the administration of 

 hydrochloric acid by mouth to the dog causes an increased excretion of 

 calcium and magnesium, as well as of sodium and potassium, but in the case 

 of the latter pair a compensatory retention makes the loss apparent rather 

 than real. If an analogous condition holds in human diabetes, the resulting 

 calcium loss may be something to take into consideration in the ti'eatment of 

 diabetic patients in whom the excretion of hydroxybutyric acid has reached 

 a significant figure." 



ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



The nutritive properties of kafirin, A. G. Hogan (Jour. Biol. Chem., SS 

 (1918), No. 1, pp. 151-159, figs. 4)- — The author reports the results of feeding 

 experiments with kafirin, the chemical examination of which has been pre- 

 viously noted (E. S. R., 37, p. 8). Rats were used as the experimental animal. 



A basal diet in which kafirin formed the sole source of protein supply re- 

 sulted in nutritive failure. The addition of gliadin barely sufficed for main- 

 tenance. Gelatin caused a slight growth which became more rapid with a 

 combination of gelatin and gliadin. This led to the assumption that lysin is 

 the first limiting factor in kafirin, the second being tyrosin, cystin, or trypto- 

 phane. To test this the amino acids mentioned were added singly and col- 

 lectively to the basal rations. Experimental data confirmed the assumption 

 that lysin is the first lirqiting factor and seem to show that cystin is the 

 second. 



