359 



analysed animals. To this end some assumption must be made as 

 to the relative values (on the large scale), for the purposes of re- 

 spiration and fat-storing, of the starch and its analogues in bread, 

 and the fat in meat. It is assumed that, in round numbers, 1 part 

 of fat may be considered equal to 2-1- parts of starch in these respects. 

 If, therefore, the quantity of fat in the estimated consumed portions 

 of the analysed animals be multiplied by 2*5, it is brought to what 

 may be conveniently called its "starch-equivalent;" and in this 

 way the Meat and the Bread can be easily compared with one another 

 in regard to the relation of their flesh-forming, to their respiratory 

 and fat-forming capacities. 



Reckoning the amount say I per cent. of fat in Bread itself 

 (and it probably averages not more than ^ per cent.), to be equal to 

 2^ parts of starch, and adding this to the amount of the actual starch 

 and allied matters which it on the average contains, the calculation 

 gives assuming this starch-equivalent to represent specially the 

 respiratory and fat-forming, and the nitrogenous substances, the 

 flesh -forming matter 6 f 8 parts of respiratory and fat-forming to 1 

 of flesh-forming material in Bread. 



Taking the relation of the one class of constituents to the other, 

 in the estimated total consumed portions of the animals assumed to 

 be in fit condition for the butcher, there was only one case that of 

 the fat calf in which the proportion of the so measured respiratory 

 and fat-forming to the flesh-forming capacity was in this our meat- 

 diet lower than in Bread. In the estimated total consumed portions 

 of the fat ox, the proportion of the starch-equivalent of nori-flesh- 

 forming matter to 1 of nitrogenous compounds, was 6*9, or rather 

 higher than in Bread. In the estimated consumed portions of the 

 fat lamb, the fat sheep, and the fat pig, the proportion was more 

 than 1^ time as great as in Bread ; and in those of the extra fat 

 sheep it was more than twice as great. Taking the average of 

 the 6 cases, there were nearly 10 parts of starch-equivalent to 1 of 

 nitrogenous compounds, against 6*8 to 1 in Bread. In the half-fat 

 ox, and the half-fat old sheep, neither of which were in the condition 

 of fatness of such animals as usually killed, the relation of the starch- 

 equivalent to the nitrogenous compounds (assuming only the same 

 proportion of the total fat as before to be eaten), was in the former 

 considerably, and in the latter slightly lower than in Bread, namely, 



