300 HAROLD L. HIGGINS 



Effects of Alcohol on Protein and Purin Metabolism 



Alcohol does not appreciably affect the protein metabolism ; it neither 

 acts as a protein sparer nor, unless taken to excess, as a protein destroyer 

 (cell-poison) (Rosemann (a)). This is shown by determinations of the 

 urinary and food nitrogen (nitrogen balance experiments). There is an 

 increase in the nitrogen output and a negative nitrogen balance for about 

 two days after alcohol is added to the diet; this is probably due to the 

 change in the water balance of the body and non-protein nitrogen content of 

 the body fluids and is associated with the diuretic action of alcohol; the 

 nitrogen balance is uninfluenced by alcohol after the first two days. Some 

 workers report that alcohol increases the uric acid excretion, while others 

 have claimed that alcohol causes no change at all or an insignificant change 

 (Rosemann (a) ; Mendel and Hilditch, 1910). Changes in the excretory 

 action of the kidney rather -than in the true uric acid metabolism seem 

 to be the cause of the discrepancies found, and supplementary analyses 

 to determine the uric acid content of the blood will be necessary to deter- 

 mine if the uric acid metabolism is affected by alcohol. 



Combustion of Alcohol 



Alcohol is burned by the body up to a certain percentage, when avail- 

 able in the tissues, in preference to either fat or carbohydrate. Experi- 

 ments with men and animals show that the rate of combustion of alcohol 

 is independent of the amount taken and comparatively constant (Mel- 

 lanby(e), 1919; Voltz and Dietrich, 1912; Higgins(&), 1917). Over 

 fifty per cent of the total heat production of the body seldom, if ever, 

 comes from alcohol. When 30 c.c. of alcohol were taken by a man, the 

 percentage of the total oxygen consumption used in burning alcohol during 

 the first two or three hours was as high as when 45 c.c. were taken ; about 

 20 to 40 per cent of the heat production (total metabolism) came from 

 the alcohol, i.e. with a man in the resting state, about 3.5 c.c. of al- 

 cohol was burned per hour ; thus if the same rate of combustion of alcohol 

 continued (which is the case in animals) it would require 8 hours for all of 

 30 c.c. and 12 hours for all of 45 c.c. of alcohol to be burned (Higgins, 

 1917). The period during which alcohol will stay in the body when large 

 amounts are taken is surprisingly long. Thus if a physician desires to 

 give alcohol to a patient for its nutritive value, he should obtain as satis- 

 factory results nutritionally and avoid many of the untoward features of 

 alcohol, by giving it in small doses (10 c.c. or less), which may be repeated. 



Alcohol displaces carbohydrate and fat acting to spare them. It prob- 

 ably displaces a larger proportion of carbohydrate than fat ; i.e., if there 



