82 



Scientific Proceedings (32). 



placed on a diet containing a sufficient supply of calories and a 

 limited proportion of protein, so that his kidneys could readily re- 

 move the end products of catabolism. That the capacity of the 

 kidneys were not overtaxed may be concluded from the fact that 

 the patient remained practically in nitrogenous equilibrium for four 

 months. On this patient it was attempted to establish whether 

 or not the abnormal, as v. Noorden termed it "bizarre" nitrogen 

 elimination observed in course of nephritis is conditioned exclu- 

 sively by faults of elimination. 



Conclusions. 



1. The elimination-capacity of the kidneys of the patient was 

 established by placing the patient on a diet containing a low pro- 

 portion of protein and a sufficient supply of calories. To this 

 standard diet varying quantities of urea were added, and the rate 

 of the nitrogen output was measured. The output of nitrogen on 

 the standard diet was generally about 5.5 grm. and the addition of 

 1.5 to 5.0 grm. of nitrogen in form of urea caused a rise in the 

 output never exceeding 6.25 grm. Thus it was concluded that 

 an intake of nitrogen below 7.0 grm. was the most suitable for 

 the condition of our patient. 



2. Comparing the rate of elimination of nitrogen after the 

 administration of glycin, alanin, asparagin, with that after adminis- 

 tration of urea, one notes a slower rate after the administration of 

 the first two acids, and an equal rate after administration of aspar- 

 agin (probably owing to the presence of an acid amid group in the 

 molecule). 



3. After administration of excessive protein in addition to the 

 standard diet, one notes a much lower rate of nitrogen elimination 

 than one should expect to find in a normal man, on the basis of 

 the work of Falta. 



4. Of the total nitrogen removed by our patient in excess over 

 that on the standard diet, 80 per cent, was in form of urea, 

 while in normal man, as calculated from the tables of Folin, 

 the proportion of urea varies between 90 and 100 per cent. ; in 

 a normal dog the proportion is always 100 per cent. 



5. On the basis of these observations it was concluded that in 

 our patient the rate of conversion of protein into simple nitroge- 

 nous substances and into urea is below the normal. 



