THE MEASUREMENT OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN SMALL ANIMALS BY A CLOSED CIRCUIT METHOD

Abstract

The measurement of oxygen consumption occupies an important place in the history of thyroid function and has found useful application in the diagnosis of human thyroid disease. In the experimental field its applications have been more restricted, although many different forms of apparatus have been designed for the measurement of oxygen consumption in animals such as those of Richards & Collison [1928], Benedict & MacLeod [1929], Gaddum [1930], Tainter & Rytland [1934], Barbour & Trace [1937]. These methods were open-circuit methods for the investigation of the metabolism of individual animals and were technically somewhat laborious. More recently, Robbie & Leinfelder [1945] described a closed-circuit method which had certain advantages, but was again not adapted for use with more than one animal. It has been generally experienced that with single animals quantitative assays have not usually been possible on account of statistical variations. The apparatus which we have employed was therefore