Contribution to the Pliysiolog}' of Respiration under the Arctic Climate. 153 



in the series, where the mutual dependence of the two functions is 

 clear, it can also be seen in the small variations. As it is probable, 

 that the influence of the respiration-frequency is felt throughout the 

 vasomotor system, even when a distinct parallelism between blood- 

 pressure and respiration-frequency cannot be detected (for this the 

 factors, which affect the respiration and especially the blood-pressure, 

 are too many), the result is only what we should expect and agrees 

 with the experimental investigations of Hasselbalch, namely, that 

 the peripheral vessels, which are more or less paralysed in the 

 summer owing to the light, react less readily than under other con- 

 ditions. Hasselbalch also found, that the respiration-frequency 

 became more regular after the light-bath in addition to being less. 

 The respiration-frequency is subject to various influences in the 

 course of the day. It is relatively high soon after waking up and 

 decreases appreciably until one is fully awake; this morning value 

 is the "standard value" for the individual at the time mentioned, 

 the value which is found again at the quiet periods of the day, 

 when no foreign influence makes itself felt. The frequency is 

 hastened by muscular work, it rises likewise after meals, as will 

 be seen from the accompanying table of the day experiments; but 

 a regular day-curve cannot be shown. 



The respiratory metabolism. 



The determination of the respiratory metabolism and its varia- 

 tions suffers in my experiments from the very appreciable short- 

 coming, that only the amount of carbonic acid produced can be 

 calculated. The oxygen absorbed is unknown. 



I believe, however, that the respiration-quotient has altered so 

 little under my regular mode of living with the same kind of food 

 at all times of the year, that I can consider the carbonic acid given 

 off as a measure of the amount of the metabolism, and consequently, 

 that variations in the production of the carbonic acid are essentially 

 due to quantitative and not qualitative changes in the respiratory 

 metabolism. 



If this is the case, then we find for the metabolism as for the 

 respiratory functions already mentioned a distinct annual period, 

 the curve of which agrees with the curve for the total amount of 

 air respired; but its values are so great that they cannot be explained 

 as a result of the increased work of respiration. Zuntz and Loewy 

 reckon 5 cc. increase of oxygen to 1 litre increase of total amount 

 of air respired per minute. For a respiration-quotient of 08 this 

 gives 4 cc. of CO 2- The total amount of air respired by me was 



