A trial of wheat bran added to the diet of aged dyschezic hospital patients (12 men, 13 women) is reported. This significantly reduced the need for aperients and suppositories but revealed unexpected differences in response by sex. In men, bran produced more bowel actions, fewer constipated days and an increase in stool size. In women there was much less effect upon the number of bowel actions and reduction of constipated days. In men there were fewer constipated days and need for aperients after the bran was withdrawn. Side-effects were only seen in men. Most patients received 15 g/day (range 5-25 g/day). Although cheap and effective in replacing aperients, there were problems in administration and control of incontinence for the nursing staff. The value of added wheat bran in the bowel management of the long-stay hospital patient is discussed and an effective method of combining bran in the diet (e.g. with bread) might be further investigated.

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Summary Two methods of calculating these lag statistics from the graph of a series are described. One, the slide method, uses a scale printed on a glass plate; the other, the tracing method, requires no special apparatus. Both methods give results which are accurate enough for most needs. They may be used for evenly or unevenly spaced series, and are readily adapted to the analysis of concomitant and spatial series. For evenly spaced series, which alone are conveniently analysed on a desk calculator, the graphical methods compare favourably with it in speed. The tracing method is much quicker when the statistics are required for a large number of lags.