ANTI-SCROFULOUS PROPERTIES OP FISH. 265 



than an opening of the enquiry, and that directed to 

 a few points, chiefly those alluded to in the foregoing 

 queries. 



"The proposition probably will be admitted, that 

 the nutritive power of all the ordinary articles of 

 animal food, at least of those composed principally of 

 muscular fibre, or of muscle and fat, to whatever class 

 belonging, is approximately denoted by their several 

 specific gravities, and by the amount of solid matter 

 which each contains. 



" That fish generally are easy of digestion, excepting 

 such as have oil in their muscular tissue, appears to be 

 commonly admitted, as the result of experience, a re- 

 sult that agrees well with the greater degree of softness 

 of their muscular fibre, comparing it with that either 

 of birds or of the mammalia, such as are used for food. 



" A more interesting consideration is, whether fish, 

 as a diet, is more conducive to health than the flesh of 

 the animals just mentioned, and especially to the pre- 

 vention of scrofulous and tuberciilar disease. 



" From such information as I have been able to col- 

 lect, I am disposed to think that they are. It is well 

 known that fishermen and their families, living princi- 

 pally on fish, are commonly healthy, and may I not say 

 above the average ; and I think it is pretty certain that 

 they are less subject to the diseases referred to than 

 any other class, without exception. At Plymouth, at 

 the Public Dispensary, a good opportunity is afforded 

 of arriving at some positive conclusion some exact 

 knowledge of the comparative prevalency of these dis- 

 eases in the several classes of the community. The 



