BASAL METABOLISM OF AMERICAN-BORN CHINESE GIRLS AND OF AMERICAN GIRLS OF SAME AGE

In a recent publication Benedict and Meyer¹ reported that the metabolism of eighteen American-born Chinese girls, between the ages of 12 and 22, in Boston was on the average 9.2 per cent lower than the Harris-Benedict or Girl Scout standard and 6.1 per cent below the Aub-Du Bois standard. In conclusion, these authors stated: "Undoubtedly the racial factor plays a less pronounced rôle in the metabolism of the Chinese. Nevertheless, we believe that this present investigation tends to support the earlier observations to the effect that Chinese and Japanese, even though American-born, subsisting in part a modern American life, have a metabolism somewhat lower than Caucasian."

These conclusions of Benedict and Meyer are contrary to the finding of Hawks and me² that the basal metabolism of American-born Chinese children in Chicago is entirely comparable with that of American-born Chinese children of the same ages in Boston. However, as