104 PHYSIOLOGY CHAP. 



Chittenden merits special attention on account of its practical 

 importance : the fact that the quantity of uric acid eliminated 

 in the urine increases almost in proportion to the quantity of 

 protein consumed. He found a proportion varying from 1 : 14 

 and 1 : 20 between the uric acid and the total quantity of nitrogen 

 in the urine. 



It is desirable that Chittenden's researches should be repeated 

 by doctors and hygieuists on a large scale under similar and 

 different conditions, taking into consideration climate, race, 

 different trades and professions, the different states of develop- 

 ment, pregnancy, lactation, convalescence, old age, and the various 

 metabolic diseases. 



The doctrine of reduced or economical nutrition has un- 

 doubtedly a great future before it, because it rests upon a number 

 of undeniable facts which have been scientifically proved. If 

 many are extremely unwilling to accept this doctrine, it is because 

 it is in direct opposition to the inveterate habits which heredity 

 has ingrained in us, and because it tends to forbid, or at all 

 events limit, those pleasures which the prolonged activity of the 

 sense of taste affords us. I consider that the chief use of the 

 long mastication and salivation of each morsel of food recommended 

 by Fletcher's disciples is to prolong the gustatory sensations as 

 much as possible, so as to afford us the same amount of enjoyment 

 with a small quantity of food as is obtained by the gluttons who 

 hastily devour twice or three times as much. 



I feel bound to protest in the name of experimental science 

 against the immoderate and unfair opposition of certain doctors 

 and hygienists to the results of Chittenden's researches. One of 

 these critics writes as follows : " Under the cloak of great scientific 

 accuracy he (Chittenden) tends to spread opinions which are 

 repugnant to practical common sense and to sound biological 

 intuition." What is the meaning of these dark utterances? 

 Perhaps that Chittenden's researches merely appear to be strictly 

 scientific, but were in reality carried out against the most 

 accredited rules and methods? Are the results and numerical 

 data published by him not genuine ? In this case only one 

 which it would be absurd to take into consideration when we 

 are dealing with researches conducted in association with others 

 and in the presence of many persons able to check them would 

 the common sense and sound intuition be on the side of the critic ; 

 in the opposite case the critic has nothing on his side but general 

 opinion, i.e. traditional prejudice and false physiological intuition 

 which is its natural outcome. Let us briefly examine certain 

 specific points. The critic states that Chittenden bases a large 

 number of his proofs on the nitrogenous equilibrium attained, 

 a phenomenon which is only of purely relative value. To this 

 we reply that Chittenden in support of his doctrine of reduced 



