1867.] 



Di\ Parkes on the Elimination of Nitrogen. 



339 



I cannot conclude this note without expressing my best thanks to Mr. 

 Cornelius 0' Sullivan for the assistance he has given me during the per- 

 formance of the experiments which I have described, 



January 31 ^ 1867. 



Dr. W. A. MILLEE;_, Treasurer and Vice-President^ in the Chair. 



The following communication was read : — 



^' On the Elimination of Nitrogen by the Kidneys and Intestines 

 during Rest and Exercise, on a Diet without Nitrogen.'"' By 

 E. A. Parkes, M.D., F.R.S. Received January 23, 1867. 



The experiments recorded in this paper were undertaken to test the 

 results arrived at by Professors Pick and Wislicenus, with respect to the 

 elimination of nitrogen during exercise on a non-nitrogenous diet, as 

 recorded in the Philosophical Magazine for June 1866 (Supplement). 



Although these results are supported by the previous experiments of 

 Dr. Speck, who has shown that if the ingress of nitrogen be restricted, 

 bodily exercise causes no, or a very slight increase in the elimination of 

 nitrogen by the urine, it appeared desirable to carefully repeat all the 

 experiments, not only because the question is one of great importance, 

 but because objections might be, and indeed have been, reasonably made 

 to the experiments of Professors Pick and Wislicenus on the ground that 

 no sufficient basis of comparison between periods of rest and exercise was 

 given ; that the periods were altogether too short, and that no attention 

 was paid to the possible exit of nitrogen by the intestines. 



In making the experiments, I was fortunate in being permitted to use 

 the services of two perfectly healthy soldiers belonging to the Army Hospital 

 Corps, and doing duty at the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley. When 

 soldiers are steady and trustworthy, as these men were, they are good 

 subjects for experiments of the kind, as they are accustomed to very regular 

 diet and occupation, and moreover, from their habits of obedience, carry 

 out all instructions with great precision. The satisfactory results of my 

 experiments, as shown by the almost perfect agreement in the effect on 

 each man, is owing essentially to the very great care with which these 

 two inteUigent men carried out every rule which was laid down. 



One of these men, S., is an admirable example of an average man ; he is 

 22 J years old, 5 feet 8 inches in height, weighs close upon 150 lb., is 

 strong, with large bones and firm muscles, with sufficient but not exces- 

 sive fat ; he is very temperate, and is no smoker. He has never been ill in 

 his life. The second man, T., is also a perfectly healthy man, and has 

 only been ill twice, once in China six years ago with tertian ague, and 

 about three years ago with intermittent hemicrania. But he is in size and 

 weight a good contrast to S. He is 36 years of age, very well propor- 

 tioned and active, but is only 5 feet 4 inches in height, and weighs only 



