Mr. H. R. Schenker, an active member of the Y. G. A., a point winner and intercollegiate competitor in gymnastics. 22 years of age.
Mr. John Stapleton, a wrestler and gymnast. A professional, a man of large body and great strength. 24 years of age.
The results of the daily study of the twenty-four hours’ urine of each man for the entire period of five months are to be found in the accompanying tables. By a careful inspection of these data many interesting facts are brought to light. First it is to be observed, in harmony with what has already been stated regarding athletes, that the men, as a rule, were accustomed to the taking of large amounts of proteid food daily. Thus, during the preliminary period of ten days, Dr. Callahan excreted through the kidneys 22.79 grams of nitrogen as the daily average, corresponding to the metabolism of 142 grams of proteid matter per day, while on one day the nitrogen excretion reached the high figure of 31.99 grams, corresponding practically to the metabolism of 200 grams of proteid material.
G. W. Anderson, during the preliminary period of ten days—on his ordinary diet—showed an average daily excretion of 17.18 grams of nitrogen. W. L. Anderson in this same period excreted on an average 18.22 grams of nitrogen per day, while on one day the excretion reached 23.42 grams of nitrogen. Bellis showed an average daily excretion of 17.64 grams of nitrogen during this same fore period, while Stapleton excreted nitrogen at an average rate of 19.7 grams per day, thus indicating an average daily metabolism of 123 grams of proteid matter on his ordinary diet. With such data before us it is quite clear that we have here, as expected, a group of sturdy men accustomed to the taking of large amounts of proteid food daily; men who clearly believed that their strength and bodily vigor depended in large measure upon the ingestion and utilization of these quantities of proteid food.
After the termination of this preliminary period, the men began to diminish the amount of albuminous food. In doing this they were at first given perfect freedom, each man following his own preferences, and making such alterations in his diet as he saw fit. The men were instructed as to the chemical composition of the various foodstuffs, so that they had a general idea of what foods were rich in nitrogen and could act accordingly. Some of the men cut down their intake of proteid food very rapidly, others made more gradual reduction. Some soon eliminated breakfast almost entirely. Others reduced the amount of food at each meal. Some of the men eliminated meat almost completely from their diet, and increased largely the intake of vegetable food. They were all advised, however, not to make too sudden a change in their diet, but to adopt a gradual reduction in the daily food as being less liable to disturb their physiological equilibrium. Naturally, the men knew exactly how much of a reduction in proteid food they were accomplishing each week, from the results of the chemical analysis of the urine. Further, the record of body-weight furnished evidence of how far the changes in diet were affecting body equilibrium, while their own feelings and ability to do their daily work constituted a check upon a too radical change in living. Careful perusal of the tables will show how far body-weight was changed, and to how great an extent proteid metabolism was reduced during the five months of the experiment.