Salient problems arising in discussion.
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1
Most of the audiences in the various places were naturally not quali¬
fied to discuss keenly the general, larger phases of the Nutrition Labo¬
ratory's activities. Perhaps the four things that were most frequently
commented upon immediately after the lecture and on subsequent days were
the question of skin temperature, the insensible perspiration, the new
respirstion apparatus, and the metabolism of ruminants (particularly
with regard to environmental temperature and the effect of food). It was
more and more borne in upon me that the Nutrition Laboratory should study
obesity. As pointed out by a number of men, we have worked extensively
upon complete fasting (short and long periods with man and long periods
with man and ruminants) and we have studied undernutrition both with man
and ruminants, and now we should lay great stress upon overnutrition with
particular reference to obesity.
Muscular work.
My original plan was to study the physiology of muscular work (muscle
physiology) from the standpoint of metabolism and from the psychological
standpoint perhaps of fatigue. Such a study would, I think, have been a
very wise one, had funds and a research man been available. I found a
strong tendency to criticize the experiments of Professor A. V. Hill on
muscular work and the statement that muscular work is performed entirely
at the expense of carbohydrate. Many people asked why we did not repeat
these experiments with our technique.