APRIL 12, 1912] 
draw any conclusions from this might just as 
well, instead of supposing, like Wiley, an in- 
crease of oxidation, infer that the oxidizing 
power of the body is distinctly increased a 
little by rather large doses of benzoic acid and 
increases still more after the excretion of the 
benzoic acid, a sign of an especially powerful 
cell activity. It is an interesting fact that the 
separation of benzoic acid as hippuric acid 
does not take place very quickly but that an 
after period following a rather prolonged ben- 
zoie acid diet still shows increased hippuric 
acid. The microscopic investigation of the 
urine—the method is not described in detail— 
was made six times in all for each of the 
twelve persons studied—once each in the fore 
and after periods and four times in the ben- 
zoic acid periods. The results are represented 
by numbers: 0—nothing, 1—very little, 
2—little, 8—considerable, 4—much, 5= 
very much. The following substances were 
sought for: crystals of uric acid, oxalates and 
phosphates, amorphous phosphates, epithelial 
cells and leucocytes, hyaline cylinders, finely 
granulated and coarsely granulated cylinders, 
mucous cylinders, mucous fibers. The num- 
bers were added for the twelve persons and 
divided by twelve, and the values so obtained 
compared in percentages! According to the 
mean values most of the organized elements 
are increased somewhat; leaving out the 
erystals, the leucocytes and the finely and 
coarsely granulated cylinders are somewhat in- 
creased, the hyaline cylinders somewhat dimin- 
ished and the mucous fibers hardly appreciably 
increased. Considering how strongly a 2 
influences the 1’s and 0’s which are found in 
greater number, it is preferable to consider 
more closely each individual constituent of 
the six series. When this is done it is found 
that, excepting the mucous cylinders (in- 
crease of 50 per cent.), nothing at all re- 
mains of all the construed increases. But as 
the mucous fibers do not markedly increase, I 
set no importance on the increase of the 
mucous cylinders. Wiley, however, concludes 
that there is a slight tendency towards an in- 
crease of renal activity during the benzoic 
acid periods. This “slight tendency” to 
SCIENCE 
579 
cause everything that is possibly bad is con- 
strued everywhere that Wiley can say nothing 
definite. In the feces nothing remarkable was 
found. On an average, in the experiments 
with benzoic acid the feces were a trifle drier, 
in the benzoate experiments somewhat damper, 
during and after the administration of the 
preservative than before it was given. 
That the majority of Wiley’s twelve persens 
should have lost 0.5-2.0 kilograms on a freely 
chosen diet is very remarkable, and we should 
much like to learn more as to the principles 
on which the amount of food was measured. 
The amounts of dry substance, fat, nitrogen 
and calories daily taken in the individual 
periods vary not inconsiderably—with a 
“faint tendency” in most cases to decrease 
in the course of the forty days—which alone 
explains the slight decreases in weight. We 
do not learn why a greater regularity in the 
taking of food was not striven for. I repro- 
duce some particulars concerning one per- 
son: Test Person 1 (C. W. N.) had nothing 
particular to complain of against benzoic acid, 
but found that his strength decreased 
markedly, so that he could hardly do his work. 
At the same time, however, it is stated that 
this person was often very hungry, that the 
abundant and varied food with 4,000 calories 
was not sufficient for him. On the other 
hand, it is seen from page 1090 that during 
the fore period this person partook of 606 
grams of dry food, on the average during the 
total benzoic acid periods, of 590 grams, and in 
the after period, of only 567 grams. Why more 
food was not given him remains incompre- 
hensible, as he had already decreased 0.5 kilo- 
gram in weight in the second 5-day fore 
period and 0.3 kilogram in the first 5-day ben- 
zoic acid period and was hungry! In this 
record I see nothing but decreased body 
weight and consequent feeling of weakness, 
probably increased by suggestion, resulting 
from a somewhat too limited consumption of 
food. To other persons was given 1 per cent. 
of the body weight in dry substance, to No. 1 
only 0.87 per cent. On page 1166 we learn, to 
our surprise, that Person 1, who daily took 
about 18-14 grams of nitrogen, daily gained 
