THE PROBLEM OF FOOD 17 



than as a part of the daily work it should be curtailed 

 as much as possible, because it involves the consump- 

 tion of more food. I venture to think that this is a 

 mistaken view. The actual additional food necessary 

 is not great, and the extra appetite may be kept under 

 control. If the exercise taken increases the efficiency 

 of a person doing" work of national value in any way, 

 and there seems little doubt of this, the extra food is 

 well spent. The position of those who spend all their 

 time in exercise for amusement's sake is different. 



Although the benefits of fresh air seem undeniable, 

 it must be confessed that it is difficult to say why. 

 There is no evidence of real deficiency of oxygen or 

 of injurious excess of carbon dioxide or other products 

 even in rooms that are felt to be " stuffy". It may be 

 an effect of stimulation of the skin by currents of air, 

 as in the experiments of Leonard Hill. Somewhat 

 the same considerations arise in connection with cold 

 baths. More about fresh air will be found in Pro- 

 fessor Kenwood's lecture below. 



In the discussion of food rations as a whole, the 

 normal healthy individual has been taken as the basis. 

 In the case of those of weak digestion, the possibility 

 of certain articles being incompletely utilized must 

 be taken into consideration. 



W. M. B. 



(0948) 



