Physiological economy in nutrition, with special reference to the minimal proteid requirement of the healthy man: an experimental studyChittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Science
Physiological economy in nutrition, with special reference to the minimal proteid requirement of the healthy man: an experimental study
Chittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Metabolism; Nutrition
With this general concurrence of results, we are certainly warranted
in the assertion that the professional man can safely practise a
physiological economy in the use of proteid food equal to a saving
of one-half to two-thirds the amount called for by existing dietary
standards, and this without increasing the amount of non-nitrogenous food
consumed. Indeed, the latter class of foods can likewise be diminished
in amount without detriment to health or strength, where there is no
call for great physical exertion. Lastly, the so-called minimal proteid
requirement of the healthy man—which for this group of individuals we
may place at the low level of 0.093 to 0.130 gram of nitrogen per kilo
of body-weight—represents the real physiological needs of the system for
nitrogen, and in so far as our present data show, anything beyond this
quantity may be considered as an excess over and above what is required
for the actual physiological necessities of the body. Naturally, however,
there may be nothing detrimental in a slight excess of proteid beyond
the daily needs. That is a subject, however, to be discussed later in
connection with other results.
In view of the close agreement in the amount of nitrogen metabolized by
these different individuals per kilo of body-weight, emphasis should
be laid upon the fact that the results recorded were all obtained with
perfect freedom of choice in the matter of diet, without prescription
of any kind, so that the close concurrence in the final figures tends
to strengthen the value of the data as pointing to a certain minimal
requirement easily attainable, and fully adequate for meeting the needs
of the body.
II. EXPERIMENTS WITH VOLUNTEERS FROM THE HOSPITAL CORPS OF THE UNITED
STATES ARMY.
The original Detachment from the Hospital Corps of the United States
Army detailed to serve in this series of experiments arrived in New
Haven September 28, 1903, under the command of Dr. Wallace DeWitt, 1st
Lieutenant and assistant Surgeon of the United States Army. The detail
was composed of twenty men, of whom fourteen were privates, volunteers
for the experiment, the remainder being made up of non-commissioned
officers, cook, cook’s helper, etc. The detachment was located in
a convenient house on Vanderbilt Square belonging to the Sheffield
Scientific School, and there they lived during their six months’ stay
in New Haven under military discipline, and subject to the constant
surveillance of the commanding officer and the non-commissioned officers.
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