174 



THE PROTEIN ELEMENT IN NUTRITION 



tracted or granular in nature, whilst another 5 per cent, exhibited 

 minor pathological changes. 



The race incidence of renal disease, as demonstrated by these 

 records, is of interest from the standpoint of the influence of 

 diet. In 4,280 post-mortems the following results were ob- 

 tained : 



These figures show that kidney disease as a cause of death is 

 twice as great, in proportion to their numbers, amongst Euro- 

 peans as amongst Hindus, the Mohammedan occupying an inter- 

 mediate position. The Hindu dies considerably less often from 

 parenchymatous nephritis than either the Mohammedan or 

 European. 



These results are at variance with those obtained from the 

 hospital statistics on the incidence of renal disease as met with 

 in the wards, and as found by Dr. Caddy in life insurance ex- 

 amination. The discrepancy is, at least in part, accounted for 

 by the fact that the earlier records contained a large number 

 of post-mortems on European sailors amongst whom, owing to 

 extreme prevalence of syphilis, alcoholism, and scurvy, renal 

 disease was very prone to occur. Accepting the figures, how- 

 ever, as worked out by Major Rogers, they undoubtedly point 

 to renal disease being a more common cause of death amongst 

 the meat-eating Europeans than amongst the largely vegetarian 

 Hindus ; so far as the deductions are valid, they would tend to 

 support Chittenden's contention that the kidneys may suffer 

 in conditions where a large amount of waste has to be con- 

 tinuously eliminated. With regard to this point Major Rogers 

 states that the average age of death is much higher in the 

 European than in either of the other races, and that naturally 

 granular kidney would be present in a higher percentage of 

 European deaths. 



We may sum up the evidence from this standpoint by stating 

 that in a country where scarlet fever is unknown, the prevalence 

 of renal disease is amazing, and would not appear to support 

 the view that with diets low in protein disease of the kidney 



