NUTRITION LABORATORY. 297 



complete daily examination of the blood; and a study of the mechanics of 

 respiration, including the ventilation of the lungs, the respiration-rate, and the 

 alveolar air. Records of subjective impressions and of the subject's mental 

 attitude toward the fast were kept, together with a series of psychological 

 tests. Observations were also made of the intestinal flora and the excretion 

 through the skin. A complete chemical examination of the urine was carried 

 out by modern methods, which included determinations of the various nitrog- 

 enous compounds, acid and basic radicles, carbon and energy, and the micro- 

 scopy of the urine. An extended study was made of the respiratory exchange 

 in which both the respiration apparatus and the respiration calorimeter were 

 used, this including the study of the influence of various factors upon the 

 respiratory exchange, such as the work of writing, of breathing oxygen-rich 

 atmospheres, and the conditions of sleeping and waking. The elimination of 

 water through the lungs and skin was also determined. From these data 

 important deductions regarding the total katabolism per 24 hours, the char- 

 acter of the katabolism, the loss of water from the body, the loss of original 

 body-substance, and the total energy loss were drawn. 



The observations were carried out chiefly by the laboratory staff and with 

 the cooperation of Drs. W. G. Anderson, J. E. Ash, H. W. Goodall, E. C. 

 Kendall, H. L. Langfeld, and E. E. Southard. It is impossible in this brief 

 abstract to comment intelligently upon the results, which are extensive and 

 should throw much light upon the relationship between inanition and disease. 



