272 Basal Metabolism in Men 



Considering first the mean total daily heat production, whic 

 is the fundamental constant for the establishment of a st andar 

 value, we note that the mean obtained by weighting is somewhe 

 lower than that secured by giving each individual equal weigh 

 irrespective of the number of days on which observations wei 

 made. 



The differences are, however, of a low order of magnitude i 

 compared with the average heat production of 1,631 calorie 

 The heat production is on the average 13.54 calories lower whe 

 the constants are weighted with the square root of the number 

 days and 28.38 calories lower when the constants are weighte 

 with the number of days, or based upon the constants for the ind 

 vidual days. 20 



These differences are between total daily heat productions (ui 

 weighted) of about 1,631 calories. Thus they are relatively sma 

 only 0.83 and 1.76 per cent 21 by the two methods of weightin 

 The differences are not merely relatively small as compared wii 

 the total heat production but are in all cases less than twice ; 

 large as the probable errors of the differences. 22 



Turning now to the results for heat production per kilo of boc 

 weight, we have the comparisons set forth in the second sectk 

 of Table VII. 



The means show a slight but wholly insignificant increase 

 calories per kilo as a result of weighting with the square root of 

 number of days, or with the number of days, or by using the d 

 averages in calculating the constants. 



Finally consider the results for calories per 24 hours per es 

 mated square meter of body surface. 



The heat production is 3.43 calories lower when weighted 1 

 the square root of the number of days observation and 8.88 c: 

 ories lower when weighted with the number of days, than wh 

 calculated from the daily averages. The differences are re! 



20 The means calculated in these two ways should be identical. T 

 slight difference is due to the number of significant figures retained in t 

 calculations. 



21 Percentage differences have been computed by using the average 

 the two means compared as a base. 



!2 The probable errors have in all cases been based on the actual, i 

 the weighted, number of individuals as N. 



