RELATION OF FOOD TO WORK, AND 285 



in his blood; but the Cornish miner, who is fed chiefly npon dongh. and 

 fat, finds himself greatly distressed by the climbing of the ladders — more 

 so indeed than by the slower labor of quarrying in the mine. His heart, 

 overstimulated by the rapid exertion of muscular work, beats more and 

 more quickly in its efforts to oxidate the blood in the lungs, and so sup- 

 ply the force required. Local congestion of the lung itself IVequently fol- 

 lows, and lays the foundation for theafiection so graphically,though sadly, 

 described by the miner at forty years of age, who tells you that " his other 

 works are very good, but that he is beginning to leak in the valves." 



Were I a Cornish miner, and able to afford the luxury, I should train 

 myself for the "ladder feat" by dining on half a pound of rare beefsteak 

 and a glass of ale from one to two hours before commencing the ascent. 



The excretion of nitrogen by the cats and ruminants is very different, 

 as might be expected from their food. 1 have ascertained that the urea 

 discharged by a Bengal tiger and a sheep daily is as follows: 



Bengal tiger 4,375 grains of urea. 



Sheep ' 256 grains of urea. 



It is worthy of remark, and serves to throw light on the meaning of 

 the excretion of nitrogen from the body, that causes but slightly con- 

 nected with muscular exertion in ruminants increase amazingly the 

 excretion of urea. Thus I have found the following excretion of urea from 

 a ram during the rutting season: 



Earn, (rutting season) 1,493 grains of urea. 



This amounts to a sixfold increase of urea, which cannot possibly be 

 accounted for by the food consumed at the time, but requires us to assume 

 a certain storing u^) of force, represented by nitrogenous compounds, 

 which has been going on for a considerable period previous to the rutting 

 season. A similar and equally remarkable storing-up of phosphates and 

 carbonates takes place, previous to the rutting season, in the rumi- 

 nants that shed their horns, which, in the Cervus megaceros^ often weigh 

 90 pounds. 



These remarkable phenomena remind us of the maxim of the wise 

 Hippocrates, who recommends moderation in the use of the gifts of the 

 Golden Venus as well as in those of Ceres and Bacchus : " liovm, mria, 

 nord, vTTvor, acppoSia/a /lerpia," with which may be Compared its converse in the 

 Latin jjroverb: ^^ Sine Cerere et Baccho, friget Venus;'''' or, as the old 

 proverb says, "When the wolf comes in at the door, love flies out at the 

 window." 



APPLICA^I'ION OF THEORY TO DISEASED CONDITIONS OF BODY. 



The relation of food to work, complicated enough in health, becomes 

 more so in disease, and the problem to be solved by rational theory 

 becomes still more difficult. I cannot attempt even to sketch an outline 

 of this part of my subject considered in general, but shall content myself 

 with asking your attention to three remarkable examples of disease which 



