324 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



from the possession of fairly good health ; but this latter being grant- 

 ed, the desire for a prolonged term of existence appears to be almost 

 universal. 



I have come to the conclusion that a proportion amounting at 

 least to more than one half of the disease which imbitters the middle 

 and latter part of life among the middle and upper classes of the 

 population is due to avoidable errors in diet. Further, while such 

 disease renders so much of life, for many, disappointing, unhappy, 

 and profitless, a term of painful endurance, for not a few it shortens 

 life considerably. It would not be a difficult task and its results if 

 displayed here would be striking to adduce in support of these views 

 a numerical statement showing causes which prematurely terminate 

 life among the classes referred to in this country, based upon the 

 Registrar-General's reports, or by consulting the records of life-assur- 

 ance experience. I shall not avail myself of these materials in this 

 place, although it would be right to do so in the columns of a medical 

 journal. My object here is to call the attention of the public to cer- 

 tain facts about diet which are insufficiently known, and therefore in- 

 adequately appreciated. And I shall assume that ample warrant for 

 the observations made* here is within my reach, and can be made avail- 

 able if required. 



At the outset of the few and brief remarks which the space at my 

 disposal permits me to make, I shall intimate, speaking in general 

 terms, that I have no sympathy with any dietary system which excludes 

 the present generally recognized sources and varieties of food. It is 

 possible, indeed, that we may yet add considerably to those we already 

 possess, and with advantage ; but there appears to be no reason for 

 dispensing with anyone of them. When we consider how varied are 

 the races of man, and how dissimilar are the climatic conditions which 

 affect him, and how in each climate the occupations, the surrounding 

 circumstances, and even the individual peculiarities of the inhabitants, 

 largely differ, we shall be constrained to admit that any one of all 

 the sources of food hitherto known may be made available, may in 

 its turn become desirable, and even essential to life. 



To an inhabitant of the Arctic Circle, for example, a vegetarian 

 diet would be impracticable, because the elements of it can not be 

 produced in that region ; and, were it possible to supply him with 

 them, life could not be supported thereby. Animal food in large 

 quantity is necessary to sustain existence in the low temperature to 

 which he is exposed. But I desire to oppose any scheme for circum- 

 scribing the food resources of the world, and any form of a statute 

 of limitations to our diet, not merely because it can be proved inappli- 

 cable, as in the case of the Esquimaux, under certain local and circum- 

 scribed conditions, but because I hold that the principle of limiting 

 mankind to the use of any one class of foods among many is in itself 

 an erroneous one. Thus, for example, while sympathizing to a large 



