Investigators have given considerable study to the uric acid excretion of adults and to the allantoin excretion of animals, but there have been few such studies on children. In the course of three long time balance studies conducted at Michigan State College, considerable data were obtained concerning the uric acid excretion of preschool children.
Rose,1 in his extensive review of the literature on purine metabolism, in 1923, clearly indicated that the uric acid excretion of man was not constant from day to day but that it varied with the proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrate in the diet. Protein, even that from purine-free sources, increased the elimination, while additional carbohydrate caused no increase unless the quantity was excessive. On the other hand, an increase in fat and also starvation produced decided decreases in the elimination.
Since 1923 other investigators have confirmed these general conclusions. The majority of the studies