FOODS HUMAN" NUTRITION. 365 



in the thickly congested districts of New York City and of 6 studies made with 

 fairly well-to-do families. 



In the first group the average cost of the food was 19 cts. per man per day. 

 It supplied 95 gm. protein, 68 gm. fat, and 407 gm. carbohydrates, the fuel 

 value being 2,614 calories. The author states that these families were engaged 

 in active or moderately active work. 



" Some six of these dietaries were up to or above the recognized standards, 

 and therefore raised the general average considerably, but most of the dietaries 

 were considerably below the ordinary standard, few being up to 3,000 per man 

 per day and some as low as 1,600 calories per man per day, with corresponding 

 low fat, proteid, and carbohydrates, thus showing the undernourished condition 

 due to lack of i)roper food. 



" In those families whose dietaries were up to or above the standard there 

 were always other good and sufficient reasons for the malnutrition of the chil- 

 dren, such as close quarters, overcrowding, late hours, infrequent bathing, 

 eating candy between meals, and tuberculous infection, or convalescence from 

 disease; also adenoids and enlarged tonsils in some cases, or organic disease." 



In the fairly well-to-do families the food on an average cost 35 cts. per per- 

 son per day, and supplied 149 gm. protein, 115 gm. fat, and .569 gm. carbohy- 

 drates, the fuel value being 3,884 calories. These families were engaged in 

 moderately active work. The author points out that these quantities were 

 adequate, and the adult members were well nourished. This was not the case 

 with the children, and he attributes their malnutrition " to the fact that they 

 ate cheap candy between meals and thereby spoiled their appetites for nour- 

 ishing food, lived in crowded quarters, sat up late at night, had organic disease, 

 or were convalescing from disease. All of these were good reasons for their 

 condition." 



Considering all of the dietary studies, the results showed that 61 per cent of 

 the total expenditure was for animal foods, and 39 per cent for vegetable foods, 

 about the same amount of protein being obtained from the one group as from 

 the other. Detailed suggestions are made for improving the diet. 



According to the author's general conclusions, the " improper and unscientific 

 feeding of children from the time of birth to maturity is one of the most fruit- 

 ful causes, both directly and indirectly, of disease, disability, incapacity for 

 work, both mental and physical, loss of energy, susceptibility to contract and 

 inability to withstand disease. . . . This paper, however, deals with the child 

 after the stage of babyhood has passed; in other words, the school child, up to 

 the age of 10 or 12 years. 



" My experience has been in treating hundreds of these children that they 

 contract disease much more easily and have less power of resistance than well- 

 nourished children, and when disease is contracted it is apt to be more severe 

 and prolonged." 



The author believes that efforts should be made to spread information regard- 

 ing food and nutrition topics. 



The paper is followed by a discussion. 



Some facts concerning' certain undernourished children, Frances Perkins 

 {Purvey, 25 ( 1910), No. 1, pp. 68-72).— The effects of food and other conditions 

 were studied with 107 undernourished children in a public school in New York 

 City. 



According to the author's summary, " physical disabilities of one kind and 

 another are closely associated with malnutrition, and make it doubly dangerous. 



" In many cases the money spent on food is not spent to the best advantage 

 from the point of view of nutritive value, and this is chiefly due to ignorance. 



