LOW PROTEIN DIETARY IN THE TROPICS 



157 



THE BLOOD. 



[The figures given for the red and white corpuscles are slightly 

 too high, as they include a number of observations made on 

 some members of the hill- tribes.] 



The most marked differences between the blood of the Bengali 

 and the European are The great deficiency in haemoglobin, the 

 smaller quantity of protein and total solids, and relatively, the 

 much shorter time of coagulation. 



A certain number of observations were also made on the 

 alkalinity of the blood by Wright's titration method against 

 diluted normal sulphuric acid solution ; the alkalinity was found 

 to be distinctly higher than in Europeans. 



The comparatively low blood-pressure of the Bengali is of 

 great interest from a clinical standpoint ; it has been regarded 

 as sufficient to explain the rarity of aneurism despite the marked 

 prevalence of syphilis and its ravage, as seen in the wards of 

 the hospitals. 



From a survey of these results it will be evident that the 

 Bengali is on a much lower plane of metabolism than the Euro- 

 pean. The standards fixed for the different constituents are of 

 great importance in judging the degree of interchange of material 

 going on within the body. 



From our standpoint chief interest centres in the figures 

 obtained for the urea and total nitrogen, and, as has been shown, 

 these indicate a nitrogenous metabolism of about 0-12 gramme 

 of nitrogen per kilo of body weight, using the urinary nitrogen 

 as the criterion of protein interchange. 



The condition of the blood is of equal interest. 



It is evident from the analysis given that the protein content 

 of the blood is deficient in the Bengali. This is all the more 



