BORIC ACID AND BORAX. 245 



and a portion of the loss of weight was regained. In general, how- 

 ever, there was a tendency to continue the loss of weight during the 

 after periods. These facts are more strongly brought out by the 

 graphic representations of body weight which are given in this report. 



RATIO OF FOOD CONSUMED TO BODY WEIGHT. 



Of interest in connection with the other purposes of this investiga- 

 tion is a study of the relation of the weight of food consumed to the 

 body weight, which was made in detail during the first series of obser- 

 vations. This study was made of each individual article of diet, and 

 included a statement of the ratio of the weight of food, including the 

 water consumed, and the ratio of the weight of the dry matter in the 

 food to the body weight. During the fore period, first series of 

 observations, the average daily weight of the moist food, including 

 water drunk, was 4.20 per cent of the total weight of the body, during 

 the preservative period 4.22 per cent, and for the after period 4.21 

 per cent. 



It is seen by the above that the administration of the preservative 

 caused very little variation in the weight of food consumed compared 

 with the weight of the body. 



Reduced to water-free basis the quantity of food consumed in rela- 

 tion to the weight of the body is as follows: 



Per cent. 



Fore period 0. 96 



Preservative period 99 



After period 1. 01 



These data show that there is very little difference in the total 

 quantity of dry matter in the food during the three periods. 



From the above data it is seen that the total quantity of dry matter 

 in the food consumed daily is, in round numbers, 1 per cent of the 

 weight of the body. For a man weighing 150 pounds, therefore, the 

 quantity of dry matter daily consumed in the food is, in round num- 

 bers, 1.5 pounds. 



THE EFFECT OF THE PRESERVATIVE UPON THE NUMBER OF CORPUSCLES 

 AND THE QUANTITY OF HEMOGLOBIN IN THE BLOOD. 



There was no regular influence established relating to the effect of 

 the preservative in increasing or decreasing the number of corpuscles 

 in the blood. The data in individual cases are often contradictory, and 

 a general summary- of tn*em leads to no conclusive result. The final 

 deduction can only be drawn that if the preservative affects the num- 

 ber of corpuscles and the amount of hemoglobin at all it does so in a 

 very irregular manner, differing in different individuals, and in a way 

 which can not be used as a basis of any definite conclusion. 



