1919] ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 365 



Further study on the effect of food in increasing oxidation, W. !'.. BUBOB 

 and A. J. NKii.r. (Amrr. .lour, l'liiisiol., .',7 (1918), No. 1, pp. I.: .!',. Ji(/x. 6).— 

 Continuing the work noted above, observations on the effect of the Ingestion of 

 the ordinary food materials (fruits and beverages) on the production of 

 catalase are reported. 



r riit> experiments confirm the conclusions that the Increase in oxidation fol- 

 lowing the ingestion of food is due to the increase in catalase produced by the 

 stimulation of the digestive glands, particularly the liver, to an Increased out- 

 put of this enzym. The glycerin radical of the fat molecule appears to be re- 

 sponsible for the stimulating effect of the fats; the end product of protein 

 digestion, presumably the amino acids, for the stimulating effect of meat; and 

 the simple sugars for the stimulating effect of the starchy foods. 



Creatinuria. — I, Exogenous origin of urinary creatin, H. Steenbock and 

 E. G. Gross (Jour. Bidl. Chem., 36 (1918), No. 2, pp. 265-289; abs. in Jour. 

 Amer. Med. Assoc, 12 (1919), No. 1, p. 70). — The work of various investigators 

 on creatin is reviewed and some of the factors are presented which the authors 

 believe to be responsible for the apparent anomalies shown in the appearance 

 and disappearance of creatin in urine under different dietary conditions. 

 Data obtained from experiments with pigs are reported, from which the follow- 

 ing conclusions are drawn : 



Creatin in the urine of the pig may or may not be produced by fasting, and 

 it may or may not be present in the urine on the rations customarily employed 

 In animal husbandry practice. Creatinuria obtained during fasting may be 

 reduced by carbohydrate feeding or by the administration of alkali, but both 

 treatments applied simultaneously need not necessarily prevent it. Acid ad- 

 ministration, resulting in a slight acidosis, may or may not increase the 

 creatin, but protein feeding if sufficiently intensive will always produce creati- 

 nuria, or if it be already present will increase it in degree. 



The theory advanced in explanation of these results and those of other in- 

 vestigators is that, in one form or another, creatinuria is etiologically related 

 to protein metabolism whether of exogenous or endogenous origin, and that in 

 addition, in a manner as yet unknown, it is related to the creatin stored in the 

 muscles and other tissues. As a possible mechanism for the formation of 

 creatin, it is suggested that some of the arginin may be split into components, 

 leaving the guanidiu group intact. Further cleavage would result in the for- 

 mation by one of two possible methods of guanidin acetic acid, the methyla- 

 tion of which would form creatin. 



The theory is discussed in detail with a view to correlating the observations 

 hitherto made on creatin excretion. 



ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



Net energy values of alfalfa hay and of starch, H. P. Armshy and J. A. 

 Fries (Jour. Agr. Research [U. S.], 15 (1918), No. 5. pp. 269-2S6).— Seven 

 respiration calorimeter experiments with a pure-bred Shorthorn steer 1 year 

 and 10 months old were made at the Pennsylvania Institute of Animal Nutri- 

 tion in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry of the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture to determine the net energy value of alfalfa hay by a 

 comparison of the several periods in which different amounts of it were fed, 

 and to determine similarly the net energy value of a mixture of alfalfa hay 

 and starch in the proportion of 2.5 : 1. From the data thus derived the net 

 energy value of the starch was computed. The data given in detail in tabular 

 form included the following subjects : Composition and uet energy content of 



