CHAPTER I. XI 

 THE CARBl >\ BALANi E 



Before proceeding to discuss the special metabolism of proteins 

 and carbohydrates, it will be advantageous to consider briefly - 

 era! facts concerning the excretion of carbon dioxide and the intake 

 oxygen. In the firsl place, it is important to note thai the i the 



combustion process in the animal body is proportional to the amounl 

 oxygen absorbed and of carbon dioxide produced, whereas tl 

 the combustion is indicated by the ratio existing between the amount* 

 carbon dioxide expired and of oxygen retained in the body. An invi si 

 gation of the carbon balance, in other words, is partly quantitative and 

 partly qualitative — quantitative in the Bense that it indicates how in- 

 tensely the body furnaces are burning, and qualitative in the - that 

 it tells us what sort of material is being burned at the time. 



THE RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT 



Influence of Diet. The respiratory quotient is determined by com- 

 parison of the volume of carbon dioxide expired with the volume 

 gen meanwhile retained in the body or, as a formula, 



Vol. CO i xpired 



■ 



Vol. ' ' retained 

 Km- the sake of brevity the respiratory quotient is often written K. Q. That 

 it Berves as an indicator of tin- kind oi combustion occurring will 1"- ■ 

 Jciil from the following equations: 



1. Carbohydrah : 0^,0 6H 



I »■ 



-2. ! S.CC.H.O 



.-. B.G 







I || i MI 



| Knipii : 



album 



-. B.Q 9° 



77 



