FOODS — HUMAN NUTKITION. 7G9 



In (liscnssiiij; tlic flTcct of uiitive diet on healtli, it is pointctl ont that tin- low- 

 est iiisiiraiicf rate for native Indians is SS jier cent hifilier than tiuit for Enro- 

 peans in Knrope and tliat tiiere are many restrietions. Records of medical 

 cases treated in the Medical College IIos|)itaI in Calcutta showed that the itro- 

 portion of natives treated for kichiey diseases was a little over twice that of 

 lOuropeans. Accordinj: to the author, it is surprisinj; to tind so great a preva- 

 lence of renal disease '" in a country whiM'e scarlet fever is tndvuown." and in 

 his opinion the ohserved facts do not indicate that " with a low proteid diet 

 kidney function is less likely to become impaired. So far as the evidence goes, 

 it would tend to show that, even with the exceedingly low nitrogenous intake 

 of the population of Bengal, kidney disease is more conmion among natives than 

 among Kuroiieans." 



Susceptibility to diabetes is also discussed. "Diabetes mellitus in Europeans 

 is not accompanied in any very high percentage of cases by organic changes in 

 the kidney — at least not in the earlier stages of the disease: whereas in the 

 r.engali. albuminuria, even at the beginning of dietetic glycosuria, is fairly com- 

 mon. We are greatly inclined to think that the explanation of these differences 

 rests largely with the nutritive power of tlie plasma in tlie two classes of i)e()- 

 ple; the |)oor nitrogen content of the plasma in the Bengali starving tlie renal 

 cells and causing them to lose their physiological property of preventing a fil- 

 tration of the serum albumin of the blood into the tubules. ... It would, 

 therefcu'e. appear that tht' large carbohydrate intake rendered necessary by a 

 diet poor in nitrogen, and of course much more so the great (piautities of sugar 

 consumed by the Bengali, is even more likely to lead to injury and damage to 

 the delicate tissues of glandular and other organs and to a dinunution in the 

 resisting power of the system than any excessive nitrogenous intake." 



Parsimony in nutrition, J. Ckichton-Bkowne (Jour. Roy. Iiixf. Pub. Jlcdllli, 

 hi (UtO.S). Xos. 8. pp. .'ilt-.'iHl; n, pp. 527-002).— \ critical di.scnssion of low 

 liroteid diet which the author does not regard as generally desirable. 



Fads and feeding, C. S. Bkad [Lomlon, l!)OS, pp. 1(>3 ; rcr. in liiil. Med. 

 ■I'tKi:. lOOS, Xo. 2o01, p. leS-ff). — A popular discussion of different systems of 

 dift. 



Retail prices of food. 1890 to 1907 iliin: of Labor \U. ,s'.l liul. 77. />/). 

 IHI-.i,i2). — A compilation of data regarding retail prices of fooil which on an 

 average, it is stated, were higher in 1!M)7 than in any other year of the IS-ycar 

 lieriod included, being 4.2 \)QV cent higher than in 100(>. 



Cost of living of the working classes in the prizacipal industrial towns of 

 Great Britain [Hiir. of Labor \('. S'.] llul. 77. /»/*. .J.i^/^.f.T.n.— The data lici'e 

 re;M»rted were presented to Bai'liament in December, IJM)?, by the Labor Depart- 

 ment of the Itritish Boaid of Trade and represent the result of a comparative 

 study of rents, prices paid for foods .ind other conun<Hlities and for fuel, ami 

 the standard rates of wages in certain selected localities. 



Studies of the dinners served in Berlin restaurants. K. Kii'skai.i ( Im//. 

 ////.'/., lid (inOH), \o. .{, pp. /'/}-,;;7 J). —Detailed statistics are given of the kind 

 and quantity of food .served for dimieis in a number of moderate-priciHl 

 restaurants in Berlin and the nutritive value of the food. The results are dis- 

 iiiss«'d in comparison with those of earlier investigators and the author con- 

 rludcs that the nutritive value of such meals. (»wing to tiie higher cost of the 

 portions served, is not greater than in ^S'^~^ wlien they were consitlert><l to 

 furnish too little protein. 



Food in Asiatic Turkey ihnilji Consular ami Trade h'pls. \l'. K.\, I'.lOS. \'o. 

 ■ !2!n, pp. S~tO). — Data supplied liy E. I,. Harris on diet and habits of the native 

 population in .\sia .Minor and by T. K. Walhuc no fodd and diet in ralestlne 

 are summarizutl. 



