Average Intake.
| Calories per day | 2450. |
| Nitrogen per day | 8.83 grams. |
Examination of these data shows that the total amount of nitrogen ingested for the seven days was 61.855 grams, while there were eliminated in the urine 53.04 grams and through the fæces 8.192 grams of nitrogen, thus showing a plus balance for the period of 0.623 gram of nitrogen. In other words, with an average daily intake of 8.83 grams of nitrogen and with an average fuel value of the food amounting to only 2450 calories per day, the body was not only kept from loss, but was able to store up a little nitrogen for future needs. Surely, one could not ask for any better demonstration of physiological economy in nutrition than these data, for this seven days’ period, afford.
Further, it should be mentioned, as confirmatory of the view that this subject had long been in a condition of nitrogenous equilibrium on about this quantity of food, that the average daily excretion of metabolized nitrogen during this seven days’ period was 7.57 grams, while the average daily excretion from April 13 to June 15 was 7.39 grams of nitrogen. Finally, attention may be called to the fact that the ingestion of 8.83 grams of nitrogen corresponds to 55.18 grams of proteid food, while an excretion of 7.57 grams of nitrogen means the metabolism of 47.3 grams of proteid matter. A saving of more than fifty per cent in proteid food and proteid metabolism, with maintenance of body and nitrogen equilibrium with its possible physiological gains is not to be ignored.
With Jacobus, a similar trial for nitrogen balance gave the following results:
JACOBUS.
Wednesday, May 18, 1904.
Breakfast.—Banana 73 grams, fried rice 100 grams, syrup 58 grams, bread 48 grams, butter 15 grams, coffee 150 grams, cream 118 grams, sugar 35 grams.