Excerpt from The Gaseous Metabolism of Infants: With Special Reference to Its Relation to Pulserate and Muscular Activity The earliest record that we have been able to find of the measurement of the gaseous metabolism of an infant is that reported by J. Forster, of Munich, in In an effort to explain the well-known fact that children consume a larger amount of food in proportion to their body weight than do adults, this investigator made determinations of the carbon-dioxide excretion in 14 experiments on children varying in age from 14 days to 9 years. His results all showed that 10 or 12 grams of carbon dioxide were given off per hour for every 10 kilograms of body-weight. With adults on the same basis, the carbon dioxide given off under conditions of rest and approximate hunger was 4 to 5 grams per hour; with an average diet, 5 to 6 grams; and with food and work, 7 grams. The author points out that the youthful organism, even in the condition of hunger, produces per unit of weight at least twice the amount of carbon dioxide which is produced by the adult body. The fact is also recognized that the infant can develop a considerable amount of work, as will be seen by the following quotation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.