ACTION OF SALTS AND ALCOHOL UPON METABOLISM. 921 



view. The recent investigations of ABDEEHALDEN 1 show a washing 

 out of the retained nitrogen by the partaking of water. 



We have the thorough investigations of HAWK 2 and his co-workers 

 on the action of drinking of water upon the digestion and absorption of 

 foods as well as upon the putrefaction processes in the intestine and the 

 elimination of allantoin and purine bodies in the urine. 



When the body has lost a certain amount of water, then the abstinence 

 from water (in animals) is accompanied by a rise in the protein metabo- 

 lism (LANDAUER, STRAUB 3 ). In regard to the action of water on the 

 formation of fat and its metabolism, the theory that the free drinking 

 of water is favorable for the deposition of fat seems to be generally 

 admitted, while the drinking of only very little water acts against its 

 formation. For the present we have no conclusive proofs of the correct- 

 ness of this view. i 



Salts. In regard to the action of salts for example sodium chloride 

 and the neutral salts which partly depends upon the use of large and 

 varying amounts of salt in the experiments, the authors disagree. Inves- 

 tigations of STRAFB and RosT 4 show that the action of salts stands in 

 close relation to their power of abstracting water. Small amounts of 

 salt which do not produce diuresis have no action on metabolism. On 

 the contrary, larger amounts, which bring about a diuresis, which is 

 not compensated by the ingestion of water, produce a rise in the pro- 

 tein metabolism. If the diuresis is compensated by drinking water, 

 then the protein metabolism is not increased by salts, but is diminished 

 to a slight degree. An increased nitrogen excretion caused by taking 

 salts can be increased by the ingestion of water, thus increasing the 

 diuresis, and the action of salts seems to bear a close relation to the 

 demand and supply of water. 



Alcohol. The question as to how far the alcohol absorbed in the 

 intestinal canal is burnt in the body, or whether it leaves the body 

 unchanged by various channels, has been the subject of much discussion. 

 To all appearances the greatest part of the alcohol introduced (95 per 

 cent or more) is burnt in the body (STUBBOTIN, THUDICHUM, BODLANDER, ! 

 BENEDICENTI 5 ) . As the alcohol has a high calorific value (1 gram = 7.1 



1 See R. Neumann, Arch. f. Hygiene, 36; Heilner, Zeitschr. f. Biologic, 47 and 49; 

 Hawk, University of Pennsylvania Med. Bull., xviii; Abderhalden, Zeitschr. f. physiol. 

 Chem., 59. 



2 See Journ. of biol. Chem., 10 and 11, Arch, of internat. Med., 1911, Journ. of 

 Amer. Chem. Soc., 33 and 34. 



3 Landauer, Maly's Jahresber., 24; Straub, Zeitschr. f. Biologic, 37. 



4 W. Straub, Zeitschr. f. Biologic, 37 and 38; Rost, Arbeiten aus d. Kaiserliche 

 Gesundheitsamte, 18 (literature). See also Griiber, Maly's Jahresber., 30, 612. 

 6 Arch. f. (Anat. u.) Physiol., 1896, which contains the literature. 



