442 ON THE PLACE OF FISH IN 



granting also that we know the amount of heat which 

 is liberated when a gramme of albumen is changed 

 by oxidation into the products of decomposition in 

 which the constituents of albumen leave the human 

 body ; then if the thermic equivalent of the manual 

 labour m be greater than the amount of heat which 

 could possibly be produced by the oxidation of p 

 grammes of albumen, the question may be negatived 

 with the most complete certainty. But if, on the 

 contrary, the thermic equivalent of m metre-kilo- 

 grammes is less than that of the heat arising from the 

 oxidation of / grammes of albumen, the question has 

 by no means received an affirmative answer. It is 

 only in the former case that the experiment has a 

 decisive result. 



Such an experiment has been made by us con- 

 jointly. . . . As measurable external labour we chose 

 the ascent of a mountain peak, the height of which 

 was known. ... Of the numerous peaks of the Swiss 

 Alps, the one most suitable for our purpose appeared 

 to be the Faulhorn, near the lake of Brienz, in the 

 Bernese Oberland. It was necessary that the moun- 

 tain which was to serve for our experiment should be 

 as high as possible, and nevertheless should permit 

 of our passing a night on its summit under tolerably 

 normal circumstances ; for had we been obliged 

 immediately to descend again, the measurable amount 

 of work would have been at once followed by an 

 undeterminable but violent exertion of the muscles, in 

 which much metamorphosis would occur, the thermic 

 equivalent of which would be, however, entirely libe- 

 rated as heat. The Faulhorn satisfies all these re- 

 quirements - for although its height is very consider- 

 able, rising to about 3000 metres above the lake of 



