n8 



Scientific Proceedings (112). 



per kilo body weight was used. Twenty minutes after the glucose 

 ingestion, the metabolic rate was determined, for a period of ten 

 minutes if possible, and for the next two and a half hours, a deter- 

 mination was made each half hour. Blood was taken for blood 

 sugar estimations 15 minutes, 60 minutes and 120 minutes post 

 glucose. In all six normal controls and eight very definite cases 

 of hyperthyroidism were studied. 



The results were analyzed and plotted in the following way: 

 with the fasting blood sugar, the fasting respiratory quotient and 

 the basal metabolic rate taken as zero, the rise after the standard 

 glucose dose was charted from this point, the blood sugar and 

 respiratory quotient directly, and the metabolic rate as the per- 

 centage rise above that of the basal period . 



In the first place, it was noted that the fasting respiratory 

 quotient of hyperthyroids was somewhat lower on the average 

 than that of the normals. The most striking finding, however, 

 was the very rapid rise of the respiratory quotient in the hyper- 

 thyroid to a high level, approaching 1.0 — a total carbohydrate 

 respiratory quotient, some even going slightly above unity — and 

 the maintenance of this high level, throughout the two and a half 

 hours, while the normal controls rose more slowly, rarely reaching 

 a figure much above .90 and tending to drop a little before the 

 end of the experiment. 



The typical blood sugar curve was found in all but one of the 

 eight cases of Grave's disease studied. This patient was dis- 

 tinctly different from the others however. His metabolic rate 

 was 53 per cent, above the normal, he had all the classical findings 

 — positive eye signs, soft vascular struma, tremor, tachycardia 

 and besides auricular fibrillation — yet in spite of all this, he was 

 not losing weight and had no creatinuria on a creatin free diet. 

 Glycosuria was likewise absent in this patient following the glucose 

 tolerance test, though it was found in six out of seven of the other 

 cases in this series. The respiratory quotient curve also did not 

 fit in with the other curves obtained. Obviously his carbohydrate 

 metabolism was not greatly deranged. 



The comparison of the change in the metabolic rate between 

 the normals and the hyperthyroids was very confusing. When 

 plotted alike, the percentage rise above basal was much less in 



