Benedict1 demonstrated that a special breakfast consisting of 200 cc. of coffee free from caffeine, 16 mg. of saccharin, 30 Gm. of medium cream and 25 Gm. of potato chips had little or no effect on the production of basal heat in normal subjects if the test was made one hour or longer after the meal. However, he did not recommend the use of such a meal without further investigation in cases of patients with a pathologic condition. In view of the practical application of such a breakfast to pathologic cases, the present study was conducted.
DuBois,2 in his study of the metabolism of boys between the ages of 12 and 13, also employed a small breakfast consisting of one egg, one slice of toast with butter and a glass of milk. The test was made four hours after the meal. Higgins3 used the same breakfast in his study made