ANIMAL -FOODS. 43 
(each of which will be considered here under its proper heading). 
As to animal foods, when compared with those of a vegetable 
nature, it is to be noticed that while plants build up their con- 
tained nutriment by increase of growth, and by materials con- 
stantly added, animal flesh is always on the downward grade, by 
wear and tear of consumed tissue, and muscle, etc. Thus it 
happens that the flesh of animal bodies, when taken by us as 
food, still contains broken-down products such as were being per- 
petually excreted through the animal’s skin, kidneys, intestines, 
lungs, and other emunctory outlets of its body. Therefore it 
cannot but happen that we eat some of these waste products, 
modified though they become by proper cooking, otherwise they 
are liable to provoke poisonous toxication of the blood, and to 
cause the retention therein of fermentative noxious elements. 
“* Flesh foods,” says Kellog, “of the animals we consume contain 
poisonous substances resulting from force-expending processes, 
such as brain, and nerve activity, and muscle activity, including 
that of the heart, and glands. In fact, every vital process carried 
on in the animal’s body produces poisonous material, to be 
thrown off by this or that extricatory channel. In the flesh of 
the healthiest animal there is always present a large, or small 
amount of broken-down products, which are on their way out of 
its body, to be removed by the liver, the kidneys, the skin, and 
other organs.” But the plant, as far as we know, has no such 
waste products ; neither does milk comprehend them. 
The principal nutritive constituent of flesh meat is “ proteid,” 
this being characterised by the rapidity with which it can become 
disintegrated as to its cells, with the liberation of heat ; in other 
words it isa quick fuel. “It is to such proteid that meat owes its 
heating qualities, as commonly ascribed ; for which reason its use 
should be restricted in summer-time.”” ‘ Again,” says Clouston, 
“the presence of much meat in the diet seems to act as an excitant 
of the animal passions, such ‘ flesh’ being the incarnation of ram- 
pant, uncontrollable force.” Moreover, we have to remember 
that the fundamental principle of our daily urine is urea, a 
waste product of the muscles and other bodily structures, which 
we are constantly expending in our daily life, whilst exactly the 
same conditions obtain with the animals whose flesh we eat. It 
will therefore be anxiously asked, Is the uric acid still in the meat 
when it comes to table? Yes, certainly! These waste “ extrac- 
tives of meat,” as Dr. Hutchison calls them, “ have no nutritive 
* 
