THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PER CENTS OF PROTEIN IN THE DIET IN SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS

Abstract

5 groups of albino rats were fed continuously through 6 generations on diets containing 10.3, 14.2, 18.2, 22.2, and 26.3% of protein, resp. Detailed comparisons are made among groups as to: time of eruption of incisor teeth, of opening of the eyes, and of disappearance of the vaginal membrane; days required to attain max. wt., order of max. wts. of mated [male][male] and [female][female], body length attained; % of sterility, wt. of offspring at birth, and parents at birth of 1st and last litters, length of reproductive spans for both sexes; % wt. of mothers lost during lactation for each nursling, size of litter and sex ratio, mortality from birth to weaning; av. total wt. of kidneys at autopsy, ratio of kidney wt. to body wt. in [male][male] and [female][female], av. wt. of both sexes at death, length of life span, prevalence of tumors.