76 BULLETIN OP THE UNIVERSITY OP "WISCONSIN. 



found that the blood was deficient in the elements required for 

 adequate cerebral nutrition, and a special diet was resorted to. 

 In a few weeks the children had noticeably improved in their 

 emotional activities and in their intellectual work. 



While, then, the production of energy for mental activity is r 

 for the most part, simply one phase of the general problem 

 of generating force for all the needs of the organism — the brain 

 drawing its quota out of the common stock — yet in some meas- 

 ure this demands particular consideration. At the same time 

 we must recognize with Warner, x that one probably never finds 

 a vigorous brain in a starved body ; so that in aiming to pro- 

 duce cerebral energy we must see to it that the organism in toio 

 is well provided for, which requires that we consider the sub- 

 ject of nutrition as a whole. 



It seems almost superfluous to say that the ideal dietary is 

 one which will just meet the needs of the organism; it will 

 not supply more nor less nutrition than can be profitably util- 

 ized. Overeating results in burdening the system, and so lim- 

 iting its efficiency; undereating fails to supply fuel enough to 

 keep the machinery of life in motion. There should indeed 

 hang over each man's table the motto, "Eat to live, so that every 

 power will be at its best ;" and if this be made the rule of life 

 one's board will afford the foods which his occupation specially 

 demands. If he be an outdoors-man he must have more con- 

 structive and calorifacient material than if he live a sedentary 

 life. If he be a student, fond of vigorous physical exercise for 

 a few hours during the day, he will need to make more promi- 

 nent in his dietary the reparative and heat-affording foods than 

 will his lethargic, inactive classmate. When these individual 

 needs are not recognized and the same regimen is provided for 

 all with little opportunity for selection, then plainly some must 

 suffer ; there will be those who will be either overfed or underfed. 



It has already been indicated that different food-stuffs contain 

 different nutritive elements, and in order to secure proper nu- 

 trition they must be combined ■with one another in such a man- 



J Op. cit., p. 79. 



