29 



Dotiiilod data regrardiiiLi' llie ainoimt of f(x)d provided, oaten, and 

 rejected durinii' this study are given in Table Ho of the Appendix. 

 These are sunmuirized in the followino- table, showing the amounts of 

 nutrients and energy per man per day in the food eaten and that 

 rejected: 



Table (>. — yatricnls and cncryij in food ealen and wasted in dietary sliuhj No. 371. 



[Quantities per man per day.] 



The food actually eaten furnished 99 grams of protein, 105 grams of 

 fat, 329 grams of carbohydrates, and 2,047 calories of energy per man 

 per day, amounts which are rather larger than was to be expected from 

 the physical condition of the patients. Why this was the case it is 

 ditficult to say, but the recorded data show that a large amount of milk 

 was used, both as a beverage and in the cooked foods. In fact, milk 

 furnished fully 33 per cent of all the protein consumed. ]\Iilk is almost 

 always an important article of food in the diet of the sick, and rightly 

 so, since it atiords an easy means of supplying the body with the neces- 

 sary nutriment, and, moreover, is well liked by people in general and 

 is well tolerated. The.se facts were evidently appreciated by the phy- 

 sicians in charge. It is quite probable that the patients regarded the 

 milk as a drink rather than as a food, as such large amounts were taken. 

 It is probably also true that the diet was much to the taste of the .sub- 

 jects, and this could hardly fail to be the ca.se with those who had any 

 appetite or capacity for appreciating their food. It is not altogether 

 surprising, therefore, that the amounts of nutrients consumed by 

 these patients were larger than might seem necessary. 



On the other hand, it is not impo.ssible that the digestive powers of 

 these men were impaired to such an extent as to make the amounts of 

 nutrients actually utilized l)y the body less than would be the case with 

 people in robust health. If this ])e true, it would in part account for 

 the seemingly large amounts of nutrients consumed. There is little 



