79 



sourkrout, and the experiment was spoiled. Fortunately, a 

 medical student, then working in the laboratory, became inter- 

 ested in the subject, and offered himself as a martyr to the 

 cause. He had, for three days, flesh of haddock, fried with 

 butter, flavored with salt, pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire 

 sauce, and taken with beer and wine. Then came a period of 

 rest, that is to say ordinary diet, and then a similar trial with 

 beefsteak. I was with him at every meal and can bear warm 

 testimony to his fortitude and determination. The menu was 

 made as appetizing as possible under the circumstances. The 

 first day of each trial went pretty well, the second day it was 

 difficult, and the third day almost impossible to swallow 

 the whole. I used all sorts of devices to make it easier, espe- 

 cially by distracting his thoughts from the food ; told stories of 

 America, cracked jokes, made fun of him, at times almost 

 angered him. And it is safe to say that all the effort was 

 needed. As the result it appeared that he digested nearly the 

 whole of both the meat and the fish. The results of the 

 experiments are stated in tabular form herewith. The percent- 

 age of each ingredient, which escaped digestion, is given. In 

 some cases a correction, for certain errors of experiment which 

 need not be discussed here, is applied to the figures for amounts 

 " apparently undigested," to show those estimated to be 

 " actually" digested. 



Summary of Results of Experiments on the Digestion of the 

 Constituents of Meat and Fish by a Dog and by a Man. 

 Percentages Undigested. 



Experiments with Food. 



Water-free substance, apparently undigested 



Nitrogen (protein), from meat or fish, apparently un- 

 digested 



Nitrogen (protein), from meat or fish, actually undi- 

 gested 



Fat, mostly from lard or butter, apparently undigested 

 Ash, apparently undigested 



Meat and 

 Lard. 



Per cent. 

 3-4 



2.2 



03 



Fish and 

 Lard. 



Per cent. 

 3-2 



Meat, 

 Butter, 



Per cent. 

 4-3 



5-a 

 21.5 



Fish, 

 Butter, 



Per ct. 

 4.9 



2.0 



0-5 

 9.0 



22.5 



