BASAL REQUIREMENT. 841 



expected, shows striking differences in different persons; in CETTI and 

 Succi it was 0.150-0.200 gram on the fifth to tenth day of starvation. 

 The division of the nitrogen in the urine in starvation is unlike that in 

 the normal condition. The relative amount of urea diminishes, as 

 shown by E. and O. FREUND, BRUGSCH and CATHCART, 1 so that instead 

 of being about 85 per cent of the total nitrogen under normal conditions 

 it can sink to 54 per cent (BRUGSCH). At the same time because of the 

 abundant formation of acetone bodies (starvation acidosis) the quantity 

 of ammonia increases considerably (BRUGSCH, CATHCART). A relative 

 increase in the neutral sulphur of the urine also takes place (BENEDICT, 

 CATHCART 2 ) . 



One must differentiate between the real starvation metabolism and the 

 metabolism in the inanition condition, the basal requirement (MAGNUS- 

 LEVY) or the maintenance value (LoEWY 3 ). With this we understand the 

 metabolism in uniform, medium temperature, with absolute bodily 

 rest and inactivity of the intestinal canal. As a measure of this we 

 determine the gas exchange in a person lying down with as perfect 

 complete muscular rest as possible, or sleeping in the early morning and 

 at least twelve hours after a light meal not rich in carbohydrates. This 

 basal requirement is the measure of the energy necessary for the per- 

 formance of all the functions necessary to maintain life during rest; and 

 all work above this minimum activity is called productive increase by 

 MAGXUS-LEVY. The basal requirement is almost constant for the same 

 individual and serves as the starting point in the study of the action of 

 different influences such as work, food, diseased conditions, etc., upon 

 metabolism. The extent of this basal requirement, as determined by 

 the gas exchange according to the ZUNTZ-GEPPERT method, 4 and by 

 JOHANSSON 5 and collaborators amounts in men of 60-70 kilos body 

 weight to about 220-250 cc. oxygen and 160-200 cc. carbon dioxide per 

 minute, which equals 20-24 grams carbon dioxide per hour. JOHANSSON 

 found in forced complete muscular rest 20.7 gram CO 2 per hour and 24.8 

 gram CO 2 in the ordinary resting. According to MAGNUS-LEVY the total 

 daily metabolism can be calculated for the basal requirement as 1625 

 calories, or including the rise due to the partaking of food as 1800 

 calories. 



The food may be quantitatively insufficient, and the final result of 



1 E. and O. Freund, Wien. klin. Rundschau, 1901, Nos. 5 and 6; Brugsch, Zeitschr. 

 f. exp. Path. u. Therap., 1 and 3; Cathcart, Bioch. Zeitschr., (>. 



2 Zeitschr. f. klin. Med., 36; Cathcart, 1. c. 



3 Magnus-Levy in v. Noorden's Handbuch, and Loewy in Oppenheimer's Handbuch 

 d. Biochemie, Bd. 4. 



4 The literature can be found in the works of Magnus-Levy and Loewy. 



^ Skand. Arch. f. Physiol., 7, 8, 21, and Nord. Med. Arch. Festbund, 1897; see also 

 Magnus-Levy. 



