258 Prof. V. Harley. Influence of Removal of Large Intestine and 



serve a good blood supply, and as far as possible not to allow too 

 much tension at the place of juncture, as otherwise the ligatures were 

 apt to give way, and to be followed by a fatal peritonitis. The isolated 

 portion of the large intestine, together with the caecum, was in some 

 cases merely closed at both ends so as to form a kind of Hermann's 

 loop. It was found, however, that this was not satisfactory, for no 

 amount of washing out the loop would remove all the bacteria therein 

 contained, and the loop tended to fill with the normal excretion 

 already described, and this, together with the bacteria present, led to 

 rupture and fatal peritonitis. The loop was sometimes found to fill 

 with a very watery fluid, so that in one case it was found distended 

 with a dirty brown fluid even in spite of a slight rupture having 

 already occurred. It was therefore decided that it would be more 

 satisfactory to entirely remove the isolated portion of the large 

 intestine. 



Of the experiments about to be described in one case the large 

 intestine was only partly removed that is to say, slightly more than 

 its middle third. In the other two dogs the large intestine was 

 entirely removed together with the caecum. 



The dogs after the operation were then put on milk diet and the 

 quantity was gradually increased with the addition of beef-tea and 

 meat, until ordinary diet was able to be given ; and the experiments 

 on the metabolism were only carried out on dogs which had been on 

 ordinary diet for some time, and had regained practically their normal 

 weight. 



The Diet Employed. 



As far as the food used during the experiments, it was found most 

 convenient to sterilise weighed out portions of minced meat, each 

 quantity being sufficient for the day, and to this was added the given 

 quantity of biscuit and fat as required. In all cases each meat, biscuit, 

 or fat had been previously analysed, three separate samples being em- 

 ployed for the purpose, and the average of the three analyses were 

 taken in calculating the nitrogen and fat of the diet. 



The Methods of Analysis. 



With regard to the method of analysis employed, and collection of 

 material for analysis, the urine was collected by means of a catheter ; 

 at the same time the animals were kept in a cage, in case by any acci- 

 dent they should pass water by day or night, that also would be 

 collected in the cage and added to that obtained by the catheter. As 

 a matter of fact, dogs sufficiently often catheterised pass very little 

 into the cage direct. The faeces were collected into the cage itself. 



The nitrogen in the urine and faeces was in both cases analysed by 



