FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 67 



basal ration in comparison with isothermic quantities of butter and sugar. The 

 animals receiviuj; the gluten ration lived oil days and those fed sugar and but- 

 ter 87 days and 40 days, respectively. 



The authors believe that this experiment demonstrates the importance of 

 nitrogenous material in the diet of tuberculous patients. 



Recent dietetic experiments, J. H. Kellogg {Lake Placid Conf. Home Econ. 

 Proc, V (IHOI). 1)1). llS-l.l'i). — Some recent investigations on diet and physio- 

 logical chemistry are discussed, particularly such phases of the work as in the 

 author's opinion justify the use of a vegetarian diet and low proteid rations. 



Physiolog'ical economy in nutrition. Is not a different explanation possible? 

 A. Haig {Edinh. Med. Jour., n. scr., 22 {1D01), A'o. 6, />/), .lOl-oO-j) . — The posi- 

 tion is taken that uric acid is the harmful substance formed by nitrogen met- 

 abolism in the body. Any observed increase in strength and endurance when 

 the amount of jn-oteid food is lowered is therefore due, the author believes, not 

 to this factor but to the diminished uric acid which it involves, since, in his 

 opinion, the lower the uric acid the less the internal friction and hence the 

 greater the amount of energy available for external work. A constant relation, 

 it is claimed, olitains between nitrogen consumed and force produced, so that 

 although a diminished intake of protein may appear beneficia] for a time by 

 diminishing the uric acid, a continued lowering of the nitrogen intake leads 

 eventually to breakdown. 



On the relation between the output of uric acid and the rate of heat pro- 

 duction in the body, E. P, Cathcart and J, R, Leathes (/'roe. Roij. Soc. 

 [Lo)ido)i]. Scr. B, 79 (JOOl), Xo. B,j3.j, pp. 5.'il-5'i5). — Experiments with a mau 

 on uniform diet showed that exposure to cold with and without labor increased 

 the uric acid outr-ut materially. If the body was warmly protected exposure to 

 the cold with exercise did not produce such an increase. The results are dis- 

 cussed, but the author considers the available data too limited to furnish an 

 adequate explanation of the observed facts. The total nitrogen and other con- 

 stituents of the urine were determined also. 



Investig-ations on purin bodies, 1882—1906, E. Fischer {JJiitersuchungen 

 in dcr Puriiifii-iippc (1SS2-1906). Bcilht. ]<.t(i7, pp. 608; fcr. in Brit. Med. Jour., 

 1907. Ao, 2.'i.'i8, p. 1592). — This volume, in which the author has reprinted 47 

 papers relating to work carried on in his laboratory, constitutes a valuable ref- 

 erence work for those interested in questions of purin and metabolism. 



Has a purin-free dietary any special therapeutic value? C, Watson (Brit. 

 Med. Jour., 1907, No. 2-^51, pp. 1759-1761). — From practical experience the 

 author concludes that there is no special therapeutic effect in a purin-free diet. 

 The benefit derived from such a regime in certain cases, he believes, would be 

 equally obtained by the use of a carefully planned system of feeding, formed 

 without special reference to purin condition, " In some cases the restriction 

 in amount of animal protein food is of special value, in others the diminution 

 in the carbohydrate, and especially the sugars, is equally efficacious, and in 

 others the restriction of various alcoholic liquors will suffice." 



The behavior of nonfermentable carbohydrates in the animal body, W. 

 Brasch (Ztschr. Biol., .50 (1907), Xo. 2, pp. 1 13-162) .—The author studied the 

 question of the assimilation of galactose, pentoses, and other carbohydrates 

 with special reference to the behavior of noufermentiug carbohydrates in dia- 

 betes. In harmony with the results of other observers he found that compara- 

 tively small quantities of galactose were assimilated by normal mau, the upper 

 limit in his experiments being 30 to 40 gm, per day. As shown by experiments 

 with dogs, pentoses can not be regarded ?is precursors of glycogen. The author 



