WILBUR OLIN ATWATER. I97 



the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg in familiarizing him- 

 self with the German methods of studying nutrition problems, 

 and familiarity with the Pettenkofer-Voit respiration apparatus, 

 gained during this period, led him to undertake the construction 

 of a similar device which should, however, include the measure- 

 ment of the income and outgo of energy in addition to the in- 

 come and outgo of matter. The respiration calorimeter, which 

 was eventually developed by him and his associates is unrivaled 

 in its class as an instrument of precision, useful for the study of 

 a very large variety of problems connected with the physiology 

 and nutrition of man and animals. The bomb calorimeter and 

 the methods of its use were also materially improved under his 

 direction. 



The studies in human nutrition already made with the At- 

 water-Rosa-Benedict respiration calorimeter have been very 

 important and promise to be still more so. Direct evidence has 

 been obtained that the law of the conservation of energy holds 

 good in the utilization of food in the human body ; important 

 data have also been obtained regarding the actual nutritive 

 value of different foods and the relations of food to muscular 

 energy and mental work. 



As the Chief of Nutrition Investigations in the Office of Ex- 

 periment Stations, Professor Atwater planned and supervised 

 investigations which were carried on in about twenty States. 

 The results of this work are embodied in about one hundred 

 technical and popular publications issued by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture and the Storrs Experiment Station. 



In the judgment of competent experts, the nutrition investi- 

 gations conducted under Professor Atwater's direction were 

 more thorough in their scientific methods, more extended in the 

 scope and amount of investigation, and more useful in the dis- 

 tribution and practical application of their results than any other 

 inquiry of the kind ever undertaken in this country or in Europe. 



Professor Atwater's aid was often sought in the study of 

 nutrition problems. As instances may be mentioned the ex- 

 tended investigations of dietetic problems undertaken for the 

 New York State Commission in Lunacy, studies of the nutri- 

 tive value of alcohol carried on for the Committee of Fifty to 



