Standards for the basal metabolism of children from 2 to 15 years old, inclusive, have been reported recently by Lewis, Duval and Iliff.1 The data on which these standards were established have been used here in an attempt to resolve some of the confusion which exists in the literature with regard to the effect of adolescence and its attendant growth spurts on the basal metabolism.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Many workers have felt that there is a prepubertal or pubertal rise in the metabolism, but little agreement can be found in the literature with regard to the extent of such changes, if they do occur, or to the time of their appearance. It is of interest to note that as early as 1843 Andral and Gavarret2 made special mention of the effect of the onset of puberty on the production of carbon dioxide. They concluded that the increase in