A definite relationship between body build and oxygen absorption in children appears in our study of the basal metabolic rate of 573 normal children.
In our series slender-built children normally have higher basal rates than broad-built children of the same age-sex group. High basal metabolic rates as measured by the conventional standards are the rule for the linear type group, whose1 width-length indexes of body build are well below average.
To test the effect of body build on basal metabolism, we have compared the width-length index with the basal metabolic rate for each of the age-sex groups from 4 to 15 years. The basal metabolic rate was calculated from the Benedict-Talbot standard whenever possible, and from the Harris-Benedict and Aub-duBois standards for boys above 38 Kg. and girls above 58 Kg. of body weight. For clinical interpretation of our data, we have corrected the rates as indicated by our