Basal Metabolism of the Adult Rabbit and Prerequisites for Its Measurement
- 1 November 1939
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Elsevier in Journal of Nutrition
- Vol. 18 (5), 473-488
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/18.5.473
Abstract
For basal metabolism measurements on normal adult rabbits, animals in good nutritive state with rectal temperatures between 38.4° and 41.1°C. should be used. The measurements can be made at any time of day or night. Absence of muscular activity is necessary. The rabbits should have fasted for from 24 to 72 hours prior to measurement, should have been living at environmental temperatures above 20° but not above 32°, and should have been habituated to the environment of thermic neutrality (28° to 32°C.) for 24 hours or longer prior to the observations at thermic neutrality. The initial experiment on any rabbit not previously accustomed to laboratory procedures should be considered only as an orientation experiment. The rabbit's basal metabolism was established by 251 experiments on seventy-four adult animals, ranging in weight from 1 to 7 kg. The total heat production ranged from 60 to 335 calories per 24 hours and the heat production per square meter of surface area from 534 to 914 calories, being in general higher the heavier the weight. The males tended to have a slightly higher metabolism than the females. There was no pronounced correlation between rectal temperature and heat production. The heat values per square meter were lower than most of the values reported in the literature, probably because of strict adherence to basal conditions of measurement.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- THE RECTAL TEMPERATURE OF THE NORMAL RABBITAmerican Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content, 1939
- CERVICAL SYMPATHETIC STIMULATION AND BASAL METABOLISMAmerican Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content, 1938
- Length of Life of a RabbitScience, 1936
- The Relation Between the Basal Metabolism and the Endogenous Nitrogen Metabolism, with Particular Reference to the Estimation of the Maintenance Requirement of ProteinJournal of Nutrition, 1935
- The Influence of Previous DietGrowth and Age Upon the Basal Metabolism of the RatJournal of Nutrition, 1934
- The Effects of Some External Factors upon the Metabolism of the RatJournal of Nutrition, 1934
- CLINICAL CALORIMETRYArchives of Internal Medicine, 1916
- AN EFFICIENT GAS-PRESSURE REGULATOR.Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1898