PHYSIOLOGY: HARRIS AND BENEDICT . 371 



Measurements on 136 men, 103 women and 94 new-born infants have been 

 analyzed biometrically with the purpose of determining the statistical con 

 stants (means, standard deviations, coefficients of variation, coefficients of 

 correlation, and regression equations) which may serve as standard constants 

 in work on human metabolism until those based on more extensive series of 

 data are available. In carrying out this analysis we have proceeded on the 

 conviction that the widest possible usefulness of laboratory investigations of 

 human metabolism will result from basing measurements upon individuals 

 who are in presumably good health, but who are otherwise typical of the 

 population at large. It is only when the subjects used for experimentation 

 are representative of the general population in type, variability and correla 

 tion that results of laboratory research upon limited series of individuals may 

 be safely generalized for rationing or for other practical social applications. 

 Statistical tests of the suitability of the series used in the present investigation 

 have been applied. 



The relationship between certain of the physical and physiological measure 

 ments of the individual and between the various physiological measurements 

 has been determined. Our series of data show practically no relationship 

 between basal or minimum pulse rate and stature or body weight in adults. 

 There is a low but significant positive correlation between minimum or basal 

 pulse rate and gaseous exchange and heat production. The Nutrition Labora 

 tory has long emphasized the correlation between pulse rate and metabolism 

 in the same individual, that is, the intra-individual correlation between the 

 rate of the heart beat and the amount of the katabolism. Here, however, 

 we are dealing with the problem of the relationship between the minimum or 

 basal pulse rate of a series of individuals and their basal metabolism that 

 is, with inter-individual correlation. 



There is a substantial correlation between stature and heat production. 

 The correlation between body weight and heat production is higher being 

 of the order r = 0.75 to r = 0.80 in the new-born infants, of the order r = 0.80 

 in men and r = 0.60 in women. Analysis by means of partial correlation co 

 efficients indicates that both stature and body weight have independent 

 significance as bases for the prediction of the basal metabolism. 



The change in basal metabolism with age during the period of adult life has 

 been shown to be well represented by the linear equations, 



For men (N = 136) 



h = 1823.80 - 7.15, a, h k = 28.703 - 0.112 a, h d = 1022.17 - 3.60 a. 

 For women (N = 103) 



h = 1420.47 - 2.29 a, h k = 28.308 - 0.124 a, h d = 942.25 - 2.96 A 



where h = total heat production in calories per 24 hours, h k = calories per 

 kilogram of body weight, h d = calories per square meter of body surface as 

 estimated by the Du Bois height-weight chart. Thus in men the daily heat 



