March, 1953] D. P. MUKHERJEE, S. S. JAWA AND P. BHATTACHARYA 21
pulse rate as was due to one per cent change in humidity and one inch change in the
rainfall, respectively. Similarly, the examination of the regression coefficients in
the equation for the experimental group shows that one degree change in the atmos-
pheric temperature caused four times and five times as much change in the pulse rate
as was due to one per cent change in humidity and one inch change in the rainfall,
respectively. From the two equations it is apparent that of the atmospheric
temperature, humidity and rainfall, it was the air temperature which was com-
paratively the important cause for fluctuations in pulse rate of both the groups.
The effect of atmospheric temperature on the rate of respiration, when the
humidity and rainfall were held constant, showed that with the increase in the
atmospheric temperature, the rate of respiration of the experimental group increased
highly significantly, but this was not so in the control group. An increase in relative
humidity, when temperature and rainfall were held constant decreased the rate of
respiration in both the groups. From the sizes of the correlation coefficients it is
apparent that the control group reacted more sensitively to changes in humidity
than did the experimental group. Effect of rainfall, when humidity and air tem-
perature were held constant, was found to be insignificant in both the groups.
The value of R in the control groups is 0.836, and 0.931 for the experimental
group. These values of R suggest that under the combined atmospheric changes
in temperature, humidity and rainfall, the rate of respiration of the thyroprotein
treated animals tended to react in a more sensitive manner than in the control
group. The multiple regression equations for the estimated rates of respiration
of the two groups are as follows.
Control Group
Y=35.12—0.043X 1 —0.123X 2 —0.172X 3
Experimental Group Y=0.368X 1 —0.085X+0.174X 3 —4.66
In these equations X 1 , X 2 and X 3 represent the average atmospheric tempera-
ture, humidity and rainfall and Y the average estimated value of the rate of
respiration. In the equation for the control group the regression coefficient for
humidity shows that it is equal to that of rainfall and three times that of the
atmospheric temperature. This indicates that one per cent change in humidity or
one inch change in rainfall was responsible for three times as much change in the
rate of respiration as was caused by one degree change in the atmospheric
temperature. An examination of the regression coefficients in the equation for the
experimental group shows that the regression coefficient for temperature is four
times more than humidity and two times more than rainfall. There is, therefore, an
indication that in the experimental group each degree increase in air temperature was
responsible for four times and two times as much change in the rate of respiration
as was caused by one per cent change of humidity and one inch change in rainfall,
respectively. The two equations indicate that humidity was comparatively the
more important factor in the fluctuation of respiration rate in the control group,
whereas, in the experimental group it was the atmospheric temperature which was the
major factor responsbile for changes in the rate of respiration.
The body temperature of the animals in both the groups was unaffected by the
change in atmospheric temperature, humidity and rainfall when the other two