PHOSPHORUS STARVATION : II. 



99 



by Oeri; 32 these show that a quantity less than 1.5 grams of P 2 3 daily 

 would doubtless be insufficient to fulfill the demands of the body. 



Author. 



P„O s in- 

 take per 

 day. 



P„0 5 in' 

 urine. 



P 2 O r , in 

 feces. 



P2O5 

 balance. 





f 1. 023 

 I 1.464 

 [ 3.545 

 , 1.185 

 J 1.271 

 | 1.277 

 I 1. 227 



0.999 

 0.983 

 2.039 

 0.979 

 0.919 

 0. 902 

 0.814 



0.677 

 0.828 

 1.050 

 0.559 

 0.463 

 0.585 

 0. 534 



—0. 653 

 -0. 347 

 +0.460 

 -0. 354 

 —0. 112 

 -0.209 

 -0. 122 



Hamalainen and Helme — 



The question as to the minimum amount of phosphorus which is necesr 

 sary is probably dependent upon conditions very similar to those attend- 

 ing the problem of the minimum amount of protein. The variety and 

 character of the phosphorus compounds taken and certain other conditions 

 inherent in the individuals are probably the determining factors. How- 

 ever, it seemed to be necessary to ascertain if the amount of phosphorus 

 taken by the Filipino in his typical diet is sufficient in quantity, and 

 also how far this amount of phosphorus can be reduced without producing 

 a state of phosphorus starvation; and, further, it seemed necessary to 

 investigate the bearing on metabolism ' of a diet low in phosphorus, 

 namely, of polished rice, or a similar one richer in this constituent, 

 namely, unpolished rice. 



It seemed to us, in undertaking such experiments, very important not 

 only to study the phosphorus, but also the nitrogen metabolism, for the 

 following reasons : A diet known to cause beriberi, consisting almost 

 entirely of rice and deficient in meat, fish, and other substances, is also 

 relatively poor in protein, and it furnishes the latter only in the form 

 derived from plants. Proteins from plants are not as fully digested as 

 those from animals, and, furthermore, as certain quite recent investiga- 

 tions 33 indicate, vegetable protein has not the same value for the body 

 as an equal amount from animals. Finally, metabolism experiments, 

 especially those of Le Clerk and Cook, 34 demonstrate that the addition of 

 organic phosphorus increases the retention of nitrogen, an observation 

 which is in accordance with statements frequently made 35 regarding the 

 close connection between nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism in general. 



'-Ztschr. f. Iclin. Med. (1909), 67, 288-306. 



33 Thomas, Carl. Arch. f. Anat. u. Physiol. (1909), 219-302; Miohaud, Ztschr. 

 f. physiol. Chem. (1909), 59, 405-491. 

 "Journ. Biol. Chem. (1907), 2, 203. 

 33 Tunnicliffe. Arch. int. d. Pharm. v. Ther., 12, 207. 



