714 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
building-up character, as distinguished from animal life, (which 
involves excretions of the broken-down products as part of its 
being). With vegetables there is no throwing off effete matters as 
corrupt waste of their consumed substance from day to day; but 
in animal life, such ash (as it were of the stoking) is rejected by 
the skin, the kidneys, the lungs, the bowels, and other excretory 
channels. The most striking chemical feature of vegetable 
foods is the large proportion of carbohydrates which they contain, 
such as starch, and sugar, in abundance ; potash as an essential 
mineral salt for healthy life being largely represented in vege- 
tables, more so than soda. These carbohydrates of vegetable 
food undergoing digestion within the small intestines form acids, 
through their alliance with the bacteria present there, which 
acids diminish putrefaction ; so that in order to prevent putre- 
factive changes within the bowels vegetables must be eaten for 
their carbohydrates (starch, and sugar, or oils). This necessity 
explains the very fetid character of the stools passed by patients 
who are being fed mainly, if not exclusively, on lean meat. 
Milk, again, is an intestinal antiseptic. Within the small intes- 
tine the contents remain fluid throughout its entire length. 
But the human nervous system seems to require a plentiful 
supply of proteid support if those occult influences which ema- 
nate from the brain and spinal marrow, are to be maintained in 
sufficient potency for enabling the tissues to ward off disease. 
As Dr. Hutchison goes on to say: ‘‘ Everyone knows the feeling 
of satisfaction which follows a meal containing good meat; and 
that such feeling of benefit received is due to the proteid substance, 
and not to the meat extractives, is shown by the fact that whereas 
the addition of the meat extractives to such non-animal food 
as bread is not able to produce this feeling, yet such vegetable 
substances as (oatmeal, for instance) are rich in proteid are 
capable of exciting it to a considerable degree.” The modified 
form of vegetarianism which supplements proteid by giving also 
eggs, and milk, has much to recommend it, and will often agree 
better with gouty subjects than a diet which includes meat in 
any amount. It must be concluded, then, that if the comple- 
ment of proteid food is to be derived altogether from vegetable 
sources the diet will have to be bulky, one of the first results 
being distension of the stomach, and bowels; thus is produced 
the so-called potato-belly of the Irish peasant. Again, for the 
management by the stomach and bowels of so large a mass of © 
