Experiments on the metabolism of matter and energy in the human body, 1898-1900 / by W.O. Atwater and F.G. Benedict ; with the cooperation of A.P. Bryant and A.W. Smith and J.F. Snell.

  • Atwater, W. O. (Wilbur Olin), 1844-1907.
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Experiments on the metabolism of matter and energy in the human body, 1898-1900 / by W.O. Atwater and F.G. Benedict ; with the cooperation of A.P. Bryant and A.W. Smith and J.F. Snell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and heat given off syere determined, showed variations l)etween the observed and the theoretical amounts no greater than are ordinarily obtained by the usual analytical methods employed in the laboratory. The detailed description of the electrical and alcohol test experiments may be found in earlier bulletins of this series.* Without going further into the details of the experiments it will suffice to say that they were conducted in the same way as the similar test experiments previously reported, by burning within the calorim- . eter a known amount of ethyl alcohol in a specially arranged lamp and determining the amounts of carbon dioxid, water, and heat given oft'. The air current which passed through the chamber and the con- ditions of the experiment were very similar to those when a man was confined within the apparatus. As stated above, the electrical tests were all made previous to the time of the experiments here reported. Of the other test experi- ments, the details of which have already been published, one, No. 9, was made in the late spring of 1898, at the close of the second of the metabolism experiments here described. During the summer of 1898 no experiments were carried on with the respiration calorimeter. The first test experiment of the fall commenced November 3, 1898. The agreements between the determined and theoretical amounts of carbon dioxid, water, and heat, while not as close as had sometimes been found, were probably within the limits of experimental error, thus indicating that the apparatus was in good working condition. Follow- ing this test came metabolism experiment No. 13, reported in this bul- letin, which was immediately followed by another test experiment. No. 11. About the middle of December, 1898, still another test experiment. No. 12, gave results which indicated that the apparatus was in satis- factory condition, although the measurement of water was not as close as might be desired. This test was followed b}^ metabolism experi- ment No. 14, the details of which are given further on. The calorim- eter was then used for some experiments not reported in this bulletin. At their close test No. 13 was made, which again showed the apparatus to be in satisfactory condition, although the water determined was in excess of the theoretical. Metabolism experiments Nos. 23 and 24 followed the completion of test No. 13, and one week after their com- pletion test No. 14 was made. In this latter test, while the results of the determinations of carbon dioxid and water given oft' in the appa- ratus agreed very closely with the theoretical, it was found that the heat measured by the calorimeter.was 3.2 per cent less than the heat theoreticalgiven oft' by the combustion of the alcohol. Test experi- ment No. 15, made in December, 1899, showed similar agreements of carbon dioxid and water, and disagreement of heat. It was also found