Basal Metabolism of Premature Infants. 431 



grams per 100 c.c. of blood for the normal animals and between 

 0.04 and 0.05 for the thyroidectomized ones. (A sharper divi- 

 sion was observed when the blood was obtained several hours 

 after the morning meal. The normal animals showed 0.1-0.12 

 grams per 100 c.c; the thyroidectomized group showed 0.06 — 

 0.07 grams per 100 c.c.) 



The values observed for N. P. N. were as follows: For nor- 

 mal sheep, 40-42 mgms. per 100 c.c, for thyroidectomized sheep 

 28-32 mgms. 



Other data are incomplete, and will be reported later in con- 

 nection with a new series of analyses to be undertaken on animals 

 under better experimental control. 



The work was carried out under grants from the Sage and 

 Heckscher research funds made to Dr. Sutherland Simpson. 



213 (i960) 



Basal metabolism of premature and undersized infants. 



By JOHN R. MURLIN and ELIZABETH MARSH. 



[From the Physiological Laboratory, University of Rochester, and 

 from the Obstetrical Division of Highland Hospital, 

 Rochester, N. Y.] 



The basal metabolism of infants must be obtained during sleep 

 and infants naturally sleep best when recently fed. Following 

 the procedure employed by Bailey and Murlin 1 the infants of the 

 present series were studied under those conditions while exposed 

 in the respiration incubator 2 to an environing temperature of 27 

 to 29 0 C. 



Studies on two premature infants were reported by Rubner 

 and Langstein 3 in 191 5 and a preliminary report of several cases 

 has been made recently by Talbot. 4 The former authors found 

 the metabolism of a 2 months' premature infant on the 27th day 

 after birth to be 973 calories per sq. meter per 24 hours (Meeh- 



1 Bailey and Murlin, Journ. of Obstet., 1915, lxxi, No. 3. 



2 Murlin, J. R., Amer. Journ. Dis. of Children, 1915, ix, 42-58. 



3 Rubner and Langstein, Archiv. f. Physiologic 1915, p. 39. 



4 Talbot, F. B., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1922, xix, 309. 



