PHYSIOLOGY: HARRIS AND BENEDICT 
371 
Measurements on 136 men, 103 women and 94 new-born infants have been 
analyzed biometrically with the purpose of determining the statistical con- 
stants (means, standard deviations, coefficients of variation, coefficients of 
correlation, and regression equations) which may serve as standard constants 
in work on human metabolism until those based on more extensive series of 
data are available. In carrying out this analysis we have proceeded on the 
conviction that the widest possible usefulness of laboratory investigations of 
human metabolism will result from basing measurements upon individuals 
who are in presumably good health, but who are otherwise typical of the 
population at large. It is only when the subjects used for experimentation 
are representative of the general population in type, variability and correla- 
tion that results of laboratory research upon limited series of individuals may 
be safely generalized for rationing or for other practical social applications. 
Statistical tests of the suitability of the series used in the present investigation 
have been applied. 
The relationship between certain of the physical and physiological measure- 
ments of the individual and between the various physiological measurements 
has been determined. Our series of data show practically no relationship 
between basal or minimum pulse rate and stature or body weight in adults. 
There is a low but significant positive correlation between minimum or basal 
pulse rate and gaseous exchange and heat production. The Nutrition Labora- 
tory has long emphasized the correlation between pulse rate and metabolism 
in the same individual, that is, the intra-individual correlation between the 
rate of the heart beat and the amount of the katabolism. Here, however, 
we are dealing with the problem of the relationship between the minimum or 
basal pulse rate of a series of individuals and their basal metabolism — that 
is, with inter-individual correlation. 
There is a substantial correlation between stature and heat production. 
The correlation between body weight and heat production is higher being 
of the order r = 0.75 to r = 0.80 in the new-born infants, of the order r = 0.80 
in men and r = 0.60 in women. Analysis by means of partial correlation co- 
efficients indicates that both stature and body weight have independent 
significance as bases for the prediction of the basal metabolism. 
The change in basal metabolism with age during the period of adult life has 
been shown to be well represented by the linear equations, 
For men (N = 136) 
h = 1823.80 - 7.15, a, h k = 28.703 - 0.112 a, h d = 1022.17 - 3.60 a. 
For women (N = 103) 
h = 1420.47 - 2.29 a, h k = 28.308 - 0.124 a, h d = 942.25 - 2.96 a. 
where h = total heat production in calories per 24 hours, h k = calories per 
kilogram of body weight, hd = calories per square meter of body surface as 
estimated by the Du Bois height-weight chart. Thus in men the daily heat 
