100 BULLETIN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. 



by the makers of bills of fare in our midst. Fats have as prom- 

 inent a place on our tables in mid-summer as in mid-winter; 

 there seems to be a sort of stereotyped form that is used all 

 the year round. But the organism loaded with calorifacient 

 foods in our hottest weather is obviously at a great disadvan- 

 tage; just as is one deprived of a liberal allowance of them in 

 January or February. Landlords should know something of 

 the calorific qualities of different articles, such information, 

 for instance, as that presented in the accompanying chart, and 

 they should take into account the standing of the thermometer 

 when constructing a bill of fare. 



So much has been said regarding the evil of making carbo- 

 hydrates too prominent in one's dietary that a word is demanded 

 respecting the tendency in some cases of consuming more albu- 

 men in the daily ration than the organism can utilize. This 

 is liable to be the case where one eats heartily of lean meat 

 three times a day, while at the same time not reducing the 

 amount of other substances rich in protein. Suppose that one 

 eats five ounces of lean beef at each of three meals, he will ob- 

 tain 4.45 ounces of protein, the maximum amount for a man 

 engaged in active labor, mental or physical. Then if he add 

 bread, peas, milk, puddings, and nuts, he will convey into his 

 system a considerable quantity of albumen that will have to be 

 eliminated unused ; and it seems reasonable to suppose that the 

 working capacity of the organism will be in so far reduced. 

 Overeating in this way must be regarded as lessening the effi- 

 ciency of the organism in somewhat as serious, a sense perhaps 

 as undereating. 



An examination of dietary 'No. HOI shows that meat was 

 eaten three times every day for a week, and to this were added 

 each day a cereal rich in albumen, besides bread, milk, corn, 

 eggs, and other articles. I^ow, if this guest ate heartily of meat 

 at each meal, it is practically certain that he consumed more pro- 

 tein than he could utilize, and it must consequently have been a 

 hindrance rather than a help to him. Everyone is doubtless 

 familiar with the opinions of physicians to the effect that sed- 



