CHAPTER VII 



THE AMINO ACIDS IN RELATION TO THE 

 SPECIFIC DYNAMIC ACTION OF 

 PROTEINS 



The view has been held for many years that the 

 ingestion of protein increases the power of the body 

 cells to metabolize materials brought to them. More 

 recently it has been shown by Rubner that under 

 suitable conditions each foodstuff is capable of exert- 

 ing a specific accelerating influence upon the energy 

 metabolism. In order to maintain life Rubner believes 

 that a fixed requirement of energy is necessary. When 

 the organism is fasting, the essential energy require- 

 ment may be furnished from the tissues of the organ- 

 ism itself. After their ingestion the foodstuffs are 

 changed in various ways with the evolution of heat 

 until finally they are transformed into materials which 

 are capable of supporting vital phenomena. The final 

 products formed may be employed for the replacement 

 of the substances oxidized during fasting. The heat 

 produced in the formation of these compounds is 

 added to the heat produced for the maintenance of 

 vital processes, and the total heat production, there- 

 fore, exceeds that found in starvation. This increased 



