Techniques for Measuring Body Composition.

Abstract

The development of chemical analytic techniques during the early nineteenth century was followed closely by their application to biological materials. During the past century a number of fetal, and a few adult, carcasses have been chemically analyzed; until very recently, the results of these analyses formed the basis of our knowledge concerning body composition in man. The past 2 decades have witnessed an increasing interest in body composition, an interest fostered by the development of techniques suitable for use in living subjects. Early in 1959, at a conference held under the sponsorship of the Quartermaster Research and Engineering Command, these newer techniques were reviewed and discussed. The present volume represents the proceedings of this conference and includes some 19 presentations in all. The discussion centers about the chemical "dissection" of the body into 4 major components: water, fat, mineral, and nonosseous solids. Some of the techniques, such as measurement of