28 



PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



diet be given a relatively scanty diet of meat, a deficit in the 

 nitrogen will be noted for some days, but will gradually diminish, 

 until a fresh state of equilibrium between the nitrogenous intake 

 and output is attained. A clear example of this phenomenon is 

 afforded by the following table of the results obtained by Voit 

 with a dog weighing 33 kgrms. : 



The first table proves that on the seventh day of the abundant 

 diet of meat, nitrogenous equilibrium was obtained after the animal 

 had retained 264 grms. of nitrogen in the form of protein ; the 

 second table that when the change was made from this plentiful 

 diet to a scanty diet of meat, the equilibrium of nitrogen was also 

 obtained after the animal had lost an amount of flesh corresponding 

 to 14'7 grms. of nitrogen. 



We may therefore conclude that it is generally possible to 

 obtain nitrogenous equilibrium if a carnivorous animal be kept 

 on a purely meat diet differing considerably in quantity for a 

 certain number of days. ' There is, however, a maximum and 

 minimum limit to the daily amount of meat given, beyond which 

 it is impossible to obtain the equilibrium between the intake and 

 output of nitrogen. The maximum quantity of meat for the 

 attainment of this equilibrium is fixed by the digestive capacity of 



