NUTRITION AND GROWTH: I. 



27 



In the begmning of the experiment the skeleton weighed 15 per cent 

 of 3,200 grams = 480 grams. From this figure the following values 

 are obtained for the increase of the skeleton : 





Live 

 weight. 



1 

 Sliele- 

 ton. 





Grams. 

 3,200 

 2,800 



Grams. 

 480 



818 



iind of experiment 







338 







Both these experiments (I and II) show conclusively that, if a growing 

 dog is kept at a constant weight, or even at A slightly decreasing lueight, 

 the bones continue to increase in weight and therefore to grow, although 

 not quite so rapidly as in a normally fed control animal. If the bones 

 have absolutely and relatively increased in weight, while the total weight 

 of the animal has been kept constant, it is obvious that other parts of 

 the body must have lost in weight. 



The organs are apparently not involved in this process of consumption. 

 In the first experiment the weight of lungs, liver, heart, spleen, and 

 kidneys only was taken; all these organs had their normal blood content, 

 the animals not being killed by bleeding as was the case later. The 

 total weight of these organs amounted to 10.0 per /Cent and 10.1 per 

 cent, respectively, of the live weight of the two dogs which were on a 

 low diet, as compared with 9.7 per cent in the normal one. In experi- 

 ments II, III, and IV the weight of all the organs of the thorax and 

 abdomen was determined, the intestinal tract having been cleaned pre- 

 viously. The results are summarized in the following table : 



V (N)«-_ 

 VI (C)». 

 XII (N).. 

 VIII (N) 

 XI (C) - 

 D (N) ... 



Number of dog. 



Live 

 weight. 



Total 



weight of 



organs. 



Grams. 

 5,885 

 2,710 

 3,000 

 2,375 

 1,100 

 1,985 



Grams. 

 822 

 374 

 465 

 408 

 242 

 322 



Per cent 

 of live 

 weight. 



14.0 

 13.7 

 15.5 

 17.2 

 22.0 

 16.3 



» (N) The dog grew under normal conditions, 

 weight. 



(C) The dog was kept at a constant 



