﻿LIV 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Europe. 
  While 
  Professor 
  Atwater 
  regards 
  what 
  lias 
  beeil 
  done 
  as 
  only 
  

   the 
  beginning 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  needed 
  research, 
  the 
  results 
  already 
  obtained 
  

   throw 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  light 
  upon 
  the 
  chemical 
  nature 
  and 
  nutritive 
  uses 
  of 
  

   fish 
  and 
  fish 
  prepared 
  for 
  food, 
  matters 
  hitherto 
  but 
  very 
  imperfectly 
  un- 
  

   derstood. 
  A 
  monograph, 
  embodying 
  detailed 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  aud 
  including 
  with 
  it 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  work 
  in 
  similar 
  directions, 
  is 
  

   now 
  nearly 
  completed, 
  and 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  give 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  facts 
  of 
  

   use 
  to 
  the 
  specialist, 
  but 
  also 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  information 
  

   of 
  practical 
  value, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  form 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  

   by 
  all 
  intelligent 
  readers. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  statements 
  by 
  Professor 
  Atwater 
  are 
  of 
  interest 
  in 
  this 
  

   connection 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  chief 
  uses 
  of 
  fish 
  as 
  food 
  are 
  (1) 
  as 
  an 
  economical 
  source 
  of 
  nu- 
  

   triment, 
  and 
  (2) 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  variety 
  in 
  diet, 
  which 
  increases 
  

   with 
  the 
  advance 
  of 
  civilization 
  and 
  culture. 
  

  

  "As 
  nutriment, 
  the 
  place 
  offish 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  supplement 
  to 
  vegetable 
  

   foods, 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  which, 
  as 
  wheat, 
  rye, 
  maize, 
  rice, 
  potatoes, 
  &c, 
  are 
  

   deficient 
  in 
  protein, 
  the 
  chief 
  nutrient 
  offish. 
  

  

  "The 
  so-called 
  nitrogenous 
  extractives 
  contained 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  

   in 
  fish 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  animal 
  foods 
  are 
  doubtless 
  useful 
  in 
  nutrition. 
  The 
  

   theory 
  that 
  fish 
  is 
  especially 
  valuable 
  for 
  brain-food, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  an 
  

   assumed 
  richness 
  in 
  phosphorus, 
  is 
  not 
  sustained 
  by 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  either 
  

   chemistry 
  or 
  physiology. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  poorer 
  classes 
  of 
  people 
  and 
  com- 
  

   munities 
  almost 
  universally 
  select 
  those 
  foods 
  which 
  chemical 
  analysis 
  

   shows 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  actual 
  nutrients 
  at 
  the 
  lowest 
  cost. 
  But, 
  unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  nutrients 
  in 
  their 
  dietaries 
  are 
  often 
  very 
  

   defective. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  India 
  and 
  China, 
  rice 
  5 
  in 
  Northern 
  

   Italy, 
  maize-meal 
  ; 
  in 
  certain 
  districts 
  of 
  Germany 
  aud 
  in 
  some 
  regions 
  

   and 
  seasons 
  in 
  Ireland, 
  potatoes; 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  poor 
  whites 
  of 
  the 
  

   Southern 
  United 
  States 
  maize-meal 
  and 
  bacon 
  make 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  and 
  

   in 
  some 
  cases 
  almost 
  the 
  sole 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  These 
  foods 
  supply 
  

   the 
  nutrients 
  in 
  the 
  cheapest 
  forms, 
  but 
  all 
  are 
  deficient 
  in 
  protein. 
  

   The 
  people 
  who 
  live 
  upon 
  them 
  are 
  ill-nourished, 
  aud 
  suffer 
  physically, 
  

   intellectually, 
  and 
  morally 
  thereby. 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  Scotchman 
  finds 
  a 
  most 
  economical 
  supply 
  

   of 
  protein 
  in 
  oatmeal, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  herring; 
  and 
  the 
  rural 
  inhabitants 
  

   of 
  New 
  England 
  supplement 
  the 
  fat 
  of 
  their 
  pork 
  with 
  protein 
  of 
  beans, 
  

   and 
  the 
  carbohydrates 
  of 
  potatoes, 
  maize, 
  and 
  wheat 
  Hour 
  witli 
  the 
  

   protein 
  of 
  codfish 
  and 
  mackerel, 
  and, 
  while 
  subsisting 
  largely 
  upon 
  such 
  

   frugal 
  but 
  rational 
  diets, 
  are 
  well 
  nourished, 
  physically 
  strong, 
  and 
  noted 
  

   for 
  their 
  intellectual 
  and 
  moral 
  force. 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  population 
  becomes 
  denser, 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  to 
  supply 
  food 
  

   for 
  man 
  gradually 
  nears 
  its 
  limits. 
  Fish 
  gather 
  materials 
  that 
  would 
  

   otherwise 
  be 
  inaccessible 
  a-nd 
  lost, 
  and 
  store 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  forms 
  

   that 
  are 
  most 
  deficient 
  in 
  the 
  produce 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  Thus, 
  by 
  proper 
  

  

  