The advent of less complex methods of determining the basal metabolism of adults has made it possible for a large number of investigators to enter this field of research. The fact that such determinations have been of distinct clinical value in some cases has been shown by the works of DuBois, Means, Boothby and others, and, as a result, many clinicians in hospitals throughout the country are now using the small portable apparatus in their investigations.
Until recently little has been done on the metabolism of infancy and childhood, although occasionally investigators in the adult field have studied the basal metabolism in obscure conditions of childhood. Up to date, however, there has been no normal standard with which to compare these studies, and, as a result, it has been impossible to interpret these findings.
The purpose of this paper is to present in a concise form the basal metabolism curves