NECESSABY QUANTITY AND VAUIETY OF FOOD. 127 



the slight prevalence of the ordinary diseases, except those 

 of malarial origin. 



The following is the army ration of the United States : * 



Daily Ration of the United States Soldier. 



Bread or flour 22 ounces. 



Fresh or salt beef (or pork or bacon, 12 oz.) 20 



Potatoes (three times per week) 16 



Rice 1-6 



Coffee (or tea 0-24 oz.) 1-6 



Sugar 2-4 " 



Beans 0-64 gill. 



Vinegar 0'32 " 



Salt 0-16 " 



The bread, meat, and potatoes in the above ration contain 

 9 '28 of carbon and 4*68 of nitrogenized matter; in addi- 

 tion to which are the alimentary principles contained in the 

 rice, beans, sugar, and coffee, with the peculiar stimulant 

 effect of the coffee. The United States soldier does not re- 

 ceive alcohol unless exposed to extraordinary privations or 

 fatigue. 



The influence of diet upon the capacity for labor was well 

 illustrated by a comparison of the amount of work accom- 

 plished by English and French laborers in 1841, on a rail- 

 road from Paris to Rouen. The French laborers engaged on 

 this work were able at first to perform only about two-thirds 

 of the labor accomplished by the English. It was suspected 

 that this was due to the more substantial diet of the English, 

 which proved to be the fact ; for when the French laborers 

 were subjected to a similar regimen, they were able to ac- 

 complish an equal amount of work. 2 



In all observations of this kind, and they are very nu- 

 merous, it has been shown that an animal diet is much more 

 favorable to the development of the physical forces than one 

 consisting mainly of vegetables. 



1 HAMMOND, op. cit., p. 564. 

 , 2 LoNGET, Traite de Physiologic, Paris, 1861, tome i., p. 89. 



