NATURE AND DESTINATION OP FOOD. 385 



men during the last 80 years; so that three ships can now be kept afloat with 

 only the same number of men which were formerly required for two. This is 

 due to the improvement of the quality of the food, in combination with other 

 prophylactic means. At present, it may safely be affirmed that it would not be 

 easy to construct a diet-scale more adapted to answer the required purpose. The 

 health of crews that have been long afloat, and have been exposed to every va- 

 riety of external conditions, appears to be preserved (at least when they are 

 under the direction of judicious officers) to the full as well as that of persons 

 subject to similar vicissitudes on shore; and there can be no complaint of insuffi- 

 ciency of food, although the allowance cannot be regarded as superfluous. It 

 consists of from 31 to 35 i ounces of dry nutritious matter daily; of this 26 oz. 

 are vegetable, and the rest animal. This is found to be amply sufficient for the 

 support of strength ; and considerable variety is produced by exchanging various 

 parts of the diet for other articles. This, however, is sometimes done errone- 

 ously; thus 8 oz. of fresh vegetables, which contain only \\ oz. of solid nutri- 

 ment, are exchanged for 12 oz. of flour, which is almost all nutritious. Sugar 

 and Cocoa are also allowed, partly in exchange for a portion of the Spirits 

 formerly served out; a further diminution of which has recently been effected, 

 with great benefit. A considerable reduction in this amount is of course admis- 

 sible, where little bodily exertion is required, and where there is less exposure 

 to low temperatures. [The diet-scale of the United States Navy is even more 

 liberal than this; it is as follows: Three days in the week Pork, 16 oz. ; beans 

 or peas, 7 oz. ; biscuit, 14 oz. ; pickles or cranberries, 1 oz. ; sugar, 2 oz. ; tea, 



1 oz. : 40i oz. Two days in the week Beef, 16 oz. ; flour, 8 oz. ; fruit dried, 

 4 oz. ; biscuit, 14 oz. ; tea and sugar, 2i oz.; pickles or cranberries, 1 oz. : 45 

 oz. Two days in the week Beef 16 oz.; rice, 8 oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; cheese, 



2 oz.; biscuit, 14 oz.; tea and sugar, 2i oz.; pickles or cranberries, 1 oz. : 

 45* oz. 



The judicious admixture of the vegetable acids with the other articles of diet 

 has been found to be greatly instrumental in warding off scurvy, which used at 

 one time to be so greatly dreaded in long voyages. By diminishing the amount 

 of alkali in the blood, and by giving non-nitrogenous food, the scurvy is cured or 

 prevented, in consequence of such substance being acted on instead of the tissues 

 of the body. No other explanation can be given of the benefit which arises 

 from vegetable acids, from fresh vegetables, from sugar, wine, beer, wort, trea- 

 cle, potatoes, &c., all of which have been used with the best effects. See Mr. 

 Bence Jones's treatise " On Gravel, Calculus, and Gout/' p. 48. 



The importance of variety of food need scarcely be insisted upon, when the 

 number of principles entering into the composition of the human body is re- 

 membered. The living body, as is shown by Dr. Pereira, 1 has no power of 

 creating elementary substances; it is obvious, therefore, that the system must 

 be supplied with food containing all the elements which enter into its composi- 

 tion. ED.] 



In the case of Prisoners, the diet should of course be as spare as possible, 

 consistently with health; but it should be carefully modified, in individual 

 cases, according to several collateral circumstances, such as depression of mind, 

 compulsory labor, previous intemperate habits, and especially the length of 

 confinement. It has been supposed by some, that prisoners require a fuller 

 diet than persons at large; this is probably erroneous; but more variety is 

 certainly desirable, to counteract, as far as possible, the depressing influence 

 of their condition upon the digestive powers. The evil effect of an undue 

 reduction in the supply of food, and of insufficient attention to its quality, 

 has unfortunately been too frequently displayed in our prisons ; a notable ex- 



1 On Food and Diet. 

 25 



