110 



AROX AND HOCSON. 



of March he could stand with assistance, and also walk a few steps and 

 now he is still weak, but free from clinical symptoms. He certainly has 

 improved io a much greater extent than during the entire month of 

 January, when there was practically no change in his condition. The 

 dynamomiaric tests give objective data concerning his muscular and 

 general condition. 



Dynamometric tests. 



Date. 



Right. 



Left. 



Remarks. 





55 

 60 

 70 

 65 



35 

 3.5-40 

 50 

 45 

 45 

 50 

 50 

 55 



Jan. 18 to 25, 6 grams of 

 phytin daily. 



From Feb. 7, 4 grams of 

 phytin daily. 











65 





"5 

 75 

 75 











The most striking result of these metabolism experiments on a beri- 

 beri patient is that at the present stage of the disease he can not utilize 

 the addition of phosphorus in phytin (periods C and D) or of protein 

 (period F) to the same extent as normal man (periods IV, VI, and 

 VII), and that he therefore requires a higher intake of nitrogen and 

 phosphorus in similar food to reach nitrogen and phosphorus equilibrium 

 (period 6) than does a normal man (period III). 



The results of our extended metabolism experiments under varying 

 conditions, without doubt lead to the same conclusions as those of 

 the Japanese investigators, namely, that nitrogen destruction in beri- 

 beri is increased. The objection that the man may have been under- 

 nourished can not be made, as was the case in Miura's experiment, 

 because he took in a higher number of calories than both of the normal 

 men on the same kind of food. 



It is not our desire to decide from these experiments alone whether 

 this higher demand is characteristic of beriberi or not, nor whether 

 the greater demand for phosphorus and nitrogen is caused by some other 

 reason and therefore predisposes the man to contract the disease, nor 

 whether the higher demand is the' result of the long phosphorus and 

 nitrogen starvation which may have weakened the entire system. 

 Further ' investigations along this line seem to be absolutely necessary. 



The last period and the following dietary treatment show that an 

 increased intake of phosphorus and nitrogen have a decidedly favorable 

 influence on the patient. At the same time his nitrogen and phosphorus 

 balance approaches equilibrium, while previously, during the time when 

 there was no improvement, it was negative. 



