292 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERT. 



inconclusive, because the experimentei's had taken the penod of 

 emission of uri'a to rcprescMit that of its formation ; because the 

 emission is at all times deiJondent upon the excretion of water by 

 the kidneys, and must in these experiments have been lessened 

 durinc: exertion by the fact of much of the fluid passing out by 

 the skin and so much less by the kidneys ; bt'cause no accurate 

 basis of comi)arison was obtained ; and because the duration of 

 the whole incinirv was too short. 



This view, that in the combustion of the carbon and hydrogen 

 derived from the food is the source of muscular power, suggests 

 radical changes in the diet necessary for laboring persons. The 

 function of nitrogenous food being doubtless that of providing 

 fresh nniscuhir tissue to replace tiiat constantly lost by waste and 

 deca}-, it is estimated that this would be furnished by about four 

 ounces of dry albumen in the twenty-lour hours ; and, tliis amount 

 being supplied, the remainder of the food necessary to supply 

 the body with its working fuel may be either of the stai'chy or 

 fatty classes. Animal flesh is disadvantageous as working food, 

 being incompletely burned in the body, with a consequent loss 

 of energy, as the waste urea it produces is really a combustible 

 body ; fats, sugars, etc., are, on the contrary, completely consumed 

 within the bod}-. 



From a tabli; given by Dr. Frankland, it appears that tlie dry 

 farinaceous cereals possess, in a striking degree, advantages, as 

 a source of muscular power, over the animal foods ; and both 

 are veiy greatly surpassed I)y the fats and fatty substances, such 

 as cocoa or cheese. This explains the remarkable strengthening 

 power of cod-liver oil. Al])ine and Arctic travellers well know 

 the nourishing properties of fat and sugar. The extensive use of 

 oat-meal, as a cheap source of muscular power, is founded on 

 true physiological principles ; and the high-priced animal foods, 

 having comparatively small force-value, are very uneconomical 

 articles of diet. But, as the labor of digestion is of itself a con- 

 siderable source of internal work, it may happen that the ready 

 digestibility of an article of food may more than compensate for 

 its otherwise inferior value as a source of force. 



Those interested in this subject are referred to the Reports of 

 the British Association for 186G, "American Joui'ual of Science" 

 for November, 1866, "Franklin Journal" for November, 1866, 

 and the "Intellectual Observer" for July, 1866. 



SUGAR PREVENTING THE GENERATION OF ANIMALS. 



Mr. Henry Tanner, Professor of Rural Economy in Queen's 

 College, Birmingham, sa3-s: " I have every reason to believe that 

 the action of sugar, in its various forms, is most important in its 

 influence on the generative system ; and I think there is just cause 

 for considering that any animal may by its use be rendered 

 incompetent for pi'opagating its species. Since my attention has 

 been drawn to this fact, numerous instances have come under my 

 observation tending to confirm tliis opinion. From among the 

 cases which I could mention, it will probably be sufficient for me 



