Metabolism of Normal and Marasmic Children. 115 



Oncometer registration of the kidney and leg volume shows a 

 decided lessening in volume. The intestinal volume on the other 

 hand shows usually a slight rise. A myocardiogram shows no 

 weakening of carciac contractions sufficient to explain the fall in 

 pressure, which therefore seems due to a dilatation of the mesen- 

 teric vessels. A further analysis of the point of attack in this 

 depressor action has not been made as yet. 



Concerning the nature of the depressor substance, the following 

 facts have been obtained. It is not destroyed by boiling; nor 

 removed by heat and acetic acid; after burning the dried feces, an 

 extract of the ash has no action ; the freezing point determination 

 of the ten per cent, extract gives a A of approximately 0.3 0 . The 

 substance does not dialyze. It appears therefore to be of colloidal 

 nature. 



72 (889) 



The energy metabolism of normal and marasmic children with 

 special reference to the specific gravity of the child's body. 



By J. R. Murlin and B. R. Hoobler. 



[From the Physiological Laboratory of Cornell University Medical 

 College and the Children's Wards of Bellevue Hospital, 

 New York City.} 



A study of six normal and two atrophic children was made 

 with the respiration incubator. The child was weighed and the 

 approximate specific gravity was determined by Pfaundler's 

 method immediately afterwards. The child was then placed on a 

 metabolism bed, was given a good feeding 1 and the bed was placed 

 in the respiration chamber. The respiratory exchange was accu- 

 rately determined in two consecutive periods of one hour each on 

 each of several observation days. The urine was collected in 24 

 hour periods and the heat production was calculated from the 

 oxygen absorption and the nitrogen in the urine after the method 

 of Zuntz and Schumberg. The temperature of the incubator was 

 kept at about 27 0 C. average, this having been found to be most 



1 The amount of this feeding for different cases was nearly the same reckoned 

 in calories per kilogram of body weight. 



