NUTRITION AND GROWTH 613 



curve assumes a horizontal line instead of descending, indicating that, 

 although inadequate for growth, the diet is now sufficient for the main- 

 tenance of life. 



An important fact demonstrated by these experiments, is that cer- 



Fig. 185. Photographs of rats of same brood on perfect diet (uppermost picture); on a main- 

 tenance diet but inadequate for growth (middle picture) ; and on a diet that was inadequate both 

 for maintenance and growth. (From Mendel and Osborne.) 



tain diets are adequate for the maintenance of life although they are 

 inadequate for growth. In conformity with this conclusion, it was found 

 when young white rats were fed with gliadin alone for periods of time ex- 

 ceeding those in which they should have become full grown, that 

 they remained in an ungrowii stunted condition. The capacity to grow 



