Laeffler, 1912

Loeffler,4 working under the direction of Gigon in the Poliklinik in Basel, made a study of basal metabolism and likewise of the metabolism after the ingestion of 50 grams each of an animal protein (casein) and of a vegetable protein (edestin). For most of his experiments he used the respiration apparatus installed by Gigon, consisting of a spirometer and Muller water-valves. He concludes that the basal metabolism remained constant for more than four years, and that the results obtained with this apparatus agree perfectly with those obtained with the Jaquet and Sonden-Tigerstedt apparatus. Following the ingestion of 50 grams of casein the carbon dioxide increased about 5 grams and the oxygen about 5 grams within a period of 3 to 3 1/2 hours. A similar increase was noted with edestin. Following the lines of reasoning developed by Gigon, the author discusses the question of Verdauungsarbeit. He maintains that it exists even in the post-absorptive condition and that therefore this activity is included in the determination of the basal value. He further believes that the increase found by him after the ingestion of protein is due to further changes in the foodstuff after its absorption.

1Undeutsch, Experimentelle Gaswechseluntersuchungen bei Morbus basedowii: Gruudumsats und Umsatz nach Aufnahme von animalischem und vegetabilischem Eiweiss. Inaug.-Diss., Leipsic, 1913.

2Amar, Journ. de Physiol, et de Path, gen., 1912,14, p. 298.

3Hari and von Pesthy, Biochem. Zeitschr., 1912, 44, p. 6.

4Loeffler, Arch. f. d. ges. Physiol.. 1912, 147, p. 197.

Zuntz And Schirokich, 1912

In a series of experiments with one subject living on a protein-poor diet, Zuntz and Schirokich4 studied the metabolism in the nuchtern condition as well as after food and found the increment in the heat output in the food experiments to be approximately 15 per cent.

Gigon, 1912

In an attempt to study the influence of spices and of flavoring materials upon nutrition, Gigon2 employed the Jaquet respiration apparatus in Basel and made experiments on himself during the night, usually during sleep. Casein in varying amounts was taken with about 1 liter of water. In some of the experiments, 10 grams of salt and 1 gram of pepper were taken with the casein. The increase in the carbon-dioxide production was greater when casein alone was ingested, but the increase was of longer duration when the salt and pepper were added. Gigon notes that the spices had more of an effect on the carbon-dioxide production than they did on the oxygen consumption. This influence was more marked with 50 grams casein than with the larger amounts. In his earlier experiments, in which he specially emphasizes the importance of giving pure food materials in contrast to food materials of mixed composition, such as beefsteak, roasts, etc., Gigon found a more rapid return to the basal value than others have found and he now explains the delayed effect of eating other than pure food materials as being due to the influence of the flavors.

Mccrudden And Lusk, 1912-13

McCrudden and Lusk,3 in a study of a dwarf 17 years old, with a body-weight of 21 kilograms, found that the basal metabolism in the Cornell calorimeter was increased 6.6 per cent after the ingestion of small quantities of food. This average figure was obtained from the results of 4 experiments in which the metabolism was observed after a meal of carbohydrate and fat, another of lean meat, and two breakfasts, presumably with mixed diet.

1Zuntz and Schirokich, Separate from Med. Klinik, 1912, No. 32, 5 pp. 2Gigon, Verhandl. deutsch. Kongr. f. inn. Med., XXIX Kongress, 1912. 3McCrudden and Lusk, Jouru. Biol. Chem., 1912-13, 13, p. 447.

Togel, Brezina, And Durig, 1913

In connection with a study on the effect of alcohol upon the conservation of carbohydrate combustion, Togel, Brezina, and Durig1 report several experiments with both levulose and dextrose. The Zuntz-Geppert technique with all of the Durig refinements was employed. Contrary to their usual custom, they determined the base-line in only one period before each sugar experiment. The subject usually received 100 grams of sugar, but in one experiment 3 doses each of 30 grams of levulose were given at 1-hour intervals. After 100 grams of dextrose the respiratory quotients rose at the end of 2 hours to unity or over. With this subject, who had at that time a high carbohydrate storage, the effect of sugar ingestion was not noticeable after about 4 hours. Of special significance is the fact that even when the subject was in a glycogen-poor condition the typical rise in the curve of the respiratory quotient was not delayed and there was likewise a marked rise in the metabolism, a result somewhat at variance with some of the earlier work. Doses of 100 grams of levulose produced greater increases than the same amounts of dextrose. Although the authors note that the total excess heat produced after giving levulose is greater than that with dextrose, it is worthy of note that the maximum increment in the heat output was essentially the same with both sugars.

Schopp, 1913

Schopp,2 working with Grafe in the Medical Clinic in Heidelberg, in giving a report of rectal feeding experiments, includes a series of 3 nuchtern and 2 food experiments upon himself in which special patented foods were taken per os. These experiments, which were about 10 hours in length, were made with the Grafe respiration chamber and with the subject in the post-absorptive condition at the beginning of the experiment. In the food experiments Schopp found large increases in the heat production of 46 and 33 per cent, respectively. He noted the maximum combustion in the seventh hour, which he is inclined to think was due to toxic peculiarities of the cleavage products of the protein preparations. The conservatism shown in the conclusions drawn from his two experiments may well be copied by all writers on metabolism in discussing fragmentary data.