1917] FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 167 



mental data contributed to the field of physiological chemistry during 1916. 

 This includes the subjects of coagulation of the blood, anaphylaxis, hydrolysis 

 of proteins, the importance of individual amino acids in nutrition, residual 

 nitrogen of the blood, sugar of the blood, and renal permeability. 



The hourly elimination of certain urinary constituents during brief fasts, 

 I. Nkvwirth (Jour. Biol. Chcin., 29 {1017), Xo. 3, pp. 477-fS-J).— The data here 

 presented form a part of a contemplated study of the influence of various 

 agents (chiefly foodstuffs) upon the elimination of certain urinary constituents, 

 especially uric acid. The subject of the experiments was a normal male. 



In experiments in which the quantity of the water ingested was low there 

 was a marked fall in the uric acid output during the morning hours, followed 

 by a more gradual decline during the afternoon. There was also an unmis- 

 takable relationship, within certain limits, between urinary volume and uric 

 acid excretion. When a constant and fairly liberal quantity of water was 

 ingested the excretion of uric acid was somewhat more regular than in 

 experiments where the water intake was low or irregular. 



The relation between uric acid elimination and the creatinin output was 

 not quite so definite as that between uric acid and the total nitrogen. In 

 a general way the creatinin elimination also paralleled the total nitrogen, but 

 this relation was not so constant as for the uric acid. The experiments here 

 reported showed that for short fasts the creatinin output may show marked 

 hourly variations. 



Proteose intoxications and injury of body protein. — I, II, G. H. Whipple, 

 J. V. CooKE, and T. Stearns {Jour. Expt. Med., 25 {1917), No. 3, pp. 461-^77, 

 fig. 1; Jf79-49Jf, fig. 1). — Two papers are presented. 



I. The metabolism of fasting dogs foUoiving proteose injection. — The experi- 

 ments here reported were carried out upon laboratory animals (dogs). The 

 results of the observations may be summarized in part as follows : 



The nitrogen elimination curve in a fasting dog, after proteose injection, 

 showed a great rise in total urinary nitrogen. The apex of the curve generally 

 fell during the second 24-hour period following the injection and might in- 

 crease more than 100 per cent above the mean base-line nitrogen level. It did 

 not fall promptly to normal, but declined slowly in three to five days or 

 more toward the original base line. 



II. The metabolism of dogs icith duodenal obstruction and isolated loops of 

 intestine. — These experiments indicated that dogs with isolated loops of small 

 intestine showed evidences of intoxication. The total nitrogen elimination rose 

 greatly above the normal minimum of the fasting period in the preceding experi- 

 ments, indicating that the intoxication was associated with great destruction 

 of body protein. The authors assume that the intoxications are associated with 

 a definite proteose intoxication which is capable of initiating and continuing 

 a profound injury of tissue protein, one indication of this protein inqury being 

 this great rise in total nitrogen elimination. 



Metabolism in gout, W. Bain {Lancet [London], 1917, I, No. IS, pp. 494, 

 495). — Observations on four cases of gout showed that the excretion of calcium 

 in the the urine was lower than exhibited normally. However, as is usually 

 the case, most of the calcium was excreted in the feces. 



The administration of calcium chlorid to individuals kept on a fixed diet 

 caused a slight retention of nitrogen but did not affect the phosphorus meta- 

 bolism. " The effect on total calcium metabolism was not constant. In one 

 case a small negative calcium balance was transformed into a small positive 

 one ; in the other the positive calcium balance was reduced. In both cases the 

 urinary calcium was not affected." 



