178 



LOUIS BAUMAX 



and independent of the exogenous metabolism and the total nitrogen 

 cretion. Shaffer (a) (1908) confirmed these observations and found tlu 

 the hourly excretion of creatinin was also uniform. This constancy of ci 

 atinin elimination has been used to control the accuracy of the 24-hoi 

 urine collection. The daily creatinin excretion for an adult man l 

 lx>tween 1 and 2 grams. From the viewpoint* of quantity it is second 

 importance to urea. A normal man excretes between 7 and 11 mgs. 

 creatinin nitrogen per kilo of body weight; this has been named tl 

 croatinin coefficient by Shaffer (a) (1908). It is apparently a function 

 the mass of active muscle tissue for stout and elderly people, and worm 

 often have values below 7. The coefficient of the dog averages 8.4. M yoi 

 and Fine (c) (1913) have studied the relation of the creatinin coefficient 

 the total creatin content of the body. In the case of the rabbit this is 

 quite constant, averaging 44.7 mgs. of body creatin to 1 of creatinin ii 

 the urine. The daily output of creatinin represents a conversion of aboi 

 2 per cent of the total creatin present in the body. The creatin conter 

 of the rabbit per kilogram is about one-third higher than that of man, anc 

 its creatinin coefficient is proportionately higher, that is, 14. 



The creatinin excretion of women is lower than that of men. Trac 

 and Clark found the average creati-nin coefficient of 26 women to be 5.( 

 According to these authors the low coefficient of women is due t 

 their relatively inferior muscular development. Hull found the avera 

 creatinin excretion to range between 670 and 880 mgs. Muscular activity 

 has no effect on creatinin excretion (Van Hoogenhuyze and Verploegh (&) 3 

 1908; Shaffer (a), 1908). 



During starvation there is a gradual decrease in creatinin in the 

 urine along with an increase in creatin (Cathcart (a), 1907; Howe, Mat 

 till and Hawk (6) ; Hunter, 1914), Pigs that were fed on a liberal amount 

 of carbohydrate, salts and water reached a stage when the creatinin a< 

 counted for 18 per cent of the total nitrogen in the urine (McCollum am 

 Hoagland (a), 1913). Fevers cause an increase in urinary creatini 

 (Van Hoogenhuyze and Verploegh (&), 1908 ; Klercker (c), 1909 ; Leatheg 

 (a)). Myers and Volovic observed that the increase was proportional 

 the height of the temperature. 



Creatin is often present in the urine in conditions associated witl 

 dissolution of muscle tissue, and then the creatinin is usually founc 

 to be decreased (Levene and Kristeller). Spriggs reported a very lo\ 

 creatinin excretion in 2 cases of muscular dystrophy and also in a case 

 of amyotonia congenita. In progressive muscular dystrophy, McCrudden 

 and Sargent observed large quantities of creatin in the urine with a con- 

 stant creatinin elimination. 



In wasting or atrophy of muscle the creatin eliminated in the uriiu 

 is probably derived from the disintegrated muscle fibres. 



