Abstract
The study of calcium metabolism is made difficult by the fact that in the normal adult some 80% of the calcium excretion takes place via the faecal route. This means that in order to get calcium-balance data by traditional techniques it has been necessary to subject the faeces to manipulations which are not only time-consuming and liable to considerable error but disagreeable as well. With the increasing availability of iso topes of calcium suitable for clinical studies in human subjects it seems reasonable to consider their use to measure absorption of calcium from the gastro-intestinal tract. We here describe a test in which 47Ca is given by mouth and the faecal radio activity measured without further manipulation of the faeces. From these figures and the calcium intake the calcium absorbed is calculated, and this is compared with data obtained simul taneously by the usual balance techniques. This appears to be the first report in which such a comparison has been made in a reasonably large series of patients.
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