160 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMAL NUTRITION. 
the heart’s action was noticed, and Békai-is quoted as having shown 
a similar action on the peristaltic movements of the intestines. and 
these facts perhaps account for some of the increase of the oxygen, 
but Munk shows another reason for most of it. To produce 1 Cal. 
of energy by the oxidation of sodium butyrate he computes to re- 
quire 0.324 gram of oxygen, while to produce 1 Cal. by the oxida- 
tion of fat requires, according to Zuntz & Hagemann (Chapter VIII), 
0.302 gram or 6.2 per cent. more in the first case. It would thus 
appear that the replacement of fat by sodium butyrate was sub- 
stantially isodynamic. 
Mallévre * experimented with sodium acetate, whose respira- 
tory quotient is 0.5, by the same method as Munk, the amount 
injected equaling 85-100 per cent. of the respiratory demand. The 
results per quarter hour were: 
Sodi 
Weight and Condition. Acetate oat ee Beer 
Wei ht, aunied eee Quotient. 
rms. cara 
I. 
f Before injection....] ..... 176.1 | 183.6 1.04 
Weight, 1.44 kgs.!| During “ ....| 0.201 | 193.8 | 167.1 | 0.86 
Just after eating... | Residual effect... | ._... 197.7 | 152.6 | 0.76 
| After injection.....] ..... 178.0 | 171.2 | 0.96 
II. 
Weight, 1.5 kgs.. (| Before injection....| ..... 195.3 | 149.6 | 0.77 
After two days’) During “.  ....] 0.231 231.8 | 168.2] 0.71 
fasting........ After CEs opera ete 211.2 | 168.3 | 0.77 
III. 
Weight, 1.82 kgs. | Before injection....| ..... 214.7 | 165.9 | 0.77 
After two days] During ©“ ....| 0.127(?) | 244.8 | 169.5 | 0.69 
fasting........ After eS canst. eromuers 217.1 | 166.6 | 0.77 
ng IV. 
. 71 efore injection ...| ..... “183.4 | 160.5 | 0.87 
paces ne kgs +4] |During “ —....] 0.152 | 208.1 | 167.0 | 0.80 
Fastin, YS | Residual effect.....] ..... 209.5 | 164.7 | 0.79 
Bieta ves After injection.....] ..... 194.7 | 164.7 | 0.85 
The decrease in the respiratory quotient, as well as the results 
of the examination of the urine, showed that the sodium acetate 
* Arch. ges. Physiol., 49, 460. 
