at the Berlin Physiological Society, in which he demonstrated that
alcohol could he absorbed from the bladder and that after being
absorbed, it was excreted in very small part by the breath, but
enough to change the color of the green potassium-bichromate solution.
In commenting upon the alcohol work he said that in cooperation
with six other men he had carried out a lot of work with fusel oil in
capsules; that there was a law against the use of fusel oil in Germany
but that people would not drink low fusel oil liquors. The report
of this work was published in Pfltiger's Archiv. Zuntz used 20
dogs in his experiments, giving some of them pure wine and others
fusel oil. He found that 1 gram of fusel oil was equal to 4 or 5
grams of alcohol. In both cases the animals became drunk and later
died, although occasionally they found an adaptation to fusel oil.
Zuntz also cited some work done by Fritz Strassmann which he thought
we ought to look up. (Strassmann, Pfltlger’s Archiv, 1891, volume 49,
p. 315; also, Deutsch. Viertelj. f. offentl. Gesundheitspflege, 1890,
Heft III.)
I spoke of the difficulties of securing a good reduction valve
and Zuntz said he had never been able to find one in Germany.
In dismissing the nitrogen balance experiments so frequently used
Zuntz maintained that a minus nitrogen balance is an indication that
the food is not right. He found, for example, in his walking experi¬
ments a continual gain or loss of nitrogen, and a loss of 1.5 grams
of nitrogen per day through the skin.
I was much interested in what Professor Zuntz told me regarding
Professor Atwater's visit to Gol d'Olen. When Professor Atwater
arrived he was in fair shape. He took two very careful training
walks but returned from each walk somewhat distressed. He was