Joseph H. Roe

GALACTOSE FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS

To the Editor: —InThe Journal, Nov. 19, 1932, appeared a communication by Dr. Harry Shay, which contained such incorrect interpretations of our report on galactose tolerance of normal and diabetic subjects ( J. Biol. Chem. 96 :717 [June] 1932) that we find it necessary to submit the following rebuttal of Shays statements: Shay pointed out that, in our tests on normal and diabetic subjects in which 1 Gm. of galactose per kilogram of body weight was administered by mouth, there occurred in the samples of blood collected one hour after ingestion an average drop of 36 mg. of fermentable blood sugar per hundred cubic centimeters for the normal subjects, and an average increase of 22 mg. of fermentable sugar for the diabetic patients, making an average observed difference in fermentable blood sugar of 58 mg. per hundred cubic centimeters. We object to the calculations made by Shay in the first