866 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The author points out reasons for believing that products very rich in 

 vitamin should show a difference in nitrogen when analyzed by the Dumas 

 and the Kjeldahl methods. Analyses showed that "the fraction of the maize 

 grain which contains the skin with adjacent layer gives in reality a consider- 

 able difference in the content of nitrogen, the Dumas method giving much higher 

 results than the Kjeldahl method. This difference, however, is due very likely 

 to the presence of methane, a decomposition product of methoxylated cellulose 

 derivatives." 



Similar tests with yeast led to the conclusion that although this " is so rich 

 in vitamins, the amount of vitamin nitrogen to the total nitrogen must be a 

 negligible quantity. Whether concentrated vitamin extracts will give a per- 

 ceptible difference or not future investigations will determine. 



"As regards the color reaction, which is without any doubt due besides to the 

 presence of vitamins to an admixture with other substances, its value at present 

 is limited ; we notice, however, that the meal extracted in heat with alcohol 

 yields comparatively less color than the meal extracted in cold. This suggests 

 that heating diminishes the content of color-giving substances to some extent." 



In his summary the author points out that, from the observed differences in 

 the chemical composition of the four distinct layers of the com kernel, "it 

 would seem probable that the vitamins are distributed in the external layers of 

 the grain. This explains why according to the mode' of preparation of maize- 

 meal in different countries the manifestations of pellagra vaiy from mild to 

 severe forms. 



" We are not able to say at the present moment which of the three external 

 layers is more likely to contain the bulk of the vitamins. Besides vitamins the 

 grain is deprived during the process of milling of a great quantity of salts, 

 proteins, fat, and lipoids. 



" The result of this investigation is that for the present moment it would be 

 advisable to abandon the present mode of milling since only the whole grain 

 including the skin can be regarded as a complete food." 



It is the author's intention to test his theories by means of laboratoi-j^ experi- 

 ments with animals. 



The physiological value of certain hitherto unknown constituents of foods, 

 the vitamins, C. Funk (Ergel). Physiol., 13 {191S), pp. 125-205, pi. 1, figs. 5).— 

 A summary and discussion of the author's extended experiments, including 

 work noted on page 865. 



Studies on water drinking: XIII, Fasting- studies. — VIII, Hydrogen ion 

 concentration of feces, P. E. Howe and P. B. Hawk (Jour. Biol. Chem., 11 

 {1912), Ko. 2, pp. 129-140). — The hydrogen ion concentration of the feces of 

 3 men was determined, 2 in a series of water drinking experiments and the 

 third in a fasting test, as well as in preliminary and final periods. 



According to the authors, " the reaction of the feces was uniformly alkaline, 

 the hydrogen ion concentration varying between 0.15X10"^ and 9.8X10"^. As 

 the result of water drinking with meals there was a tendency for the hydrogen 

 ion concentration to increase. Pronounced changes in the dietary regime, such as 

 high protein, low protein, and fasting did not affect the hydrogen ion concen- 

 tration of the feces sufficiently to cause other than small variations in the 

 uniformly alkaline reaction. As the result of fasting, the stools were alkaline 

 in reaction (hydrogen ion concentrations of 1.4X10'^ and 0.94X10"^) as op- 

 posed to the acid stools reported by previous investigators. The hydrogen ion 

 concentration differs for the feces of different individuals living on the same 

 diet." 



Fasting studies. — IX, On the differential leucocyte count during pro- 

 longed fasting, P. E. Howe and P. B. Hawk {Amer. Jour. Physiol., 30 {1912), 



