CEILING OF UTILIZATION OF NITROGEN

Abstract

The correction of protein deficiencies of nutritional origin is a serious quantitative problem whenever the depletion is so severe as to require a large amount of protein alimentation. If but a short time is available for correction, the difficulties are multiplied. Moreover, in many cases the parenteral route must be used. The purpose of the study reported here was to determine if possible the ceiling of utilization of intravenously given amino acids and polypeptides, i. e., how rapidly protein depletions can be corrected. An analogy may be drawn between this problem and that of vitamin deficiencies, many of which may often be corrected completely within a few hours or days by giving sufficiently large amounts of vitamins. As far as could be determined, no previous observations have been made with intravenous injections of really large doses of mixtures of amino acids. In the St. Louis City Hospital as much as