Bodily Labour upon the Discharge of Nitrogen, 457 



cause as comparatively insignificant, and to consider the extra fluid so 

 taken as only serving to maintain the normal balance of fluids in the 

 body. 



Method of Collecting the Excreta. 



My unit of time, as before stated, was a period of twenty-four hours, 

 commencing immediately before breakfast each day ; the urine passed 

 in this period was therefore collected and mixed. For the collection 

 of the urine I used a pair of 40-oz. wide-mouthed stoppered bottles, 

 a\ hich for convenience of carriage, and in order that I might have 

 them always with me, were placed in a basket having a partition, and 

 the lid of which was secured by a padlock, to prevent interference 

 with the contents by other than myself or my assistant. 



For the collection of the faeces I used flat-bottomed Bohemian glass 

 basins, about 2 inches deep, and 6 inches in diameter, with flat plates 

 of glass for covers. These fitted into wooden boxes sufficiently stout 

 to protect the contents from breakage in travelling, the lids being 

 made to fit very closely, and secured almost hermetically by means of 

 four thumbscrews. The dishes and covers were all weighed most 

 carefully, and the weight scratched upon them with a diamond, and 

 the cases were made to fit so tightly that they might be carried in 

 any position without risk of losing the contents ; these were used for 

 carrying the faeces from my own rooms to the laboratory, and also 

 when on the march. 



Mode of Collecting during Exercise. 



As the exercise consisted of long pedestrian expeditions into the 

 country, I was obliged to adopt some means of carrying my receptacles 

 with me. The plan first used was to pack the urine bottles in felt 

 jackets, to prevent breakage in an ordinary tourist's knapsack, the 

 stoppers being carefully greased, and tied in, the faeces box I strapped 

 to a belt at my waist. But this arrangement I very soon found to be 

 both unsafe and very uncomfortable, and I substituted an ordinary 

 military valise, in which I carried the bottles inclosed in thick felt 

 jackets as before. The faeces box being strapped in the place in which 

 the soldier would carry his canteen, a haversack for my bread, and a 

 pair of thermometers carried in separate special pockets, so as to be 

 accessible at once, completed my equipment. 



I may remark in passing that the question of a comfortable knap- 

 sack is a very important one, as anything which causes discomfort 

 may very seriously increase the internal, if not the external work of 

 the body. I have tried almost every form of knapsack, and have 

 found the modern military valise far superior to any other form. The 

 position of the load is such that the strain is equally distributed, and 

 there is no galling or sense of local weariness on taking it off after a 

 long day's march, and above all it leaves the respiration perfectly 



VOL. xxxix. 2 H 



