128 FOOD. 



years on a diet which is far from the standard here set forth. 

 Thus the Chinaman, to obtain the nitrogen necessary, must eat 

 about 2000 grams of rice. This gives him about 20 grams of 

 nitrogen, but 700 of carbon. Oatmeal contains carbon and 

 nitrogen in the proportion of 15 to 1. 



If the diet was exclusively of meat, then in order to supply 

 the body with the necessary amount of carbonaceous material a 

 very large quantity of meat would be required, and to meet this 

 requirement there would be taken in an excess of nitrogenous 

 constituents, thus placing a serious burden on the eliminating 

 organs to get rid of them. Experience demonstrates that a mixt- 

 ure of foods is the true physiologic method of supplying the 

 wants of the human body ; from meat are obtained the proteids 

 necessary for nutrition ; from the potato is derived the starch ; and 

 from butter is secured the fat. Experience shows also that a 

 higher standard of efficiency is maintained by a variety of food, 

 a change being made from one kind of meat to another and from 

 one vegetable to another, always, however, giving the body the 

 food-stuffs in the proper quantities to supply its demands. 



There are individuals who believe that meat-eating is not only 

 unnecessary to, but that it tends also to degrade man ; they conse- 

 quently confine themselves to vegetable diet : this exclusive dietary 

 practice is called " vegetarianism." The vegetarian movement has 

 become widespread both in this country and abroad, and societies 

 with large followings have been formed for its propagation and 

 encouragement. The grounds advanced by its adherents for its 

 support are many. Among them are the following : That the 

 character of the human teeth is not that of a carnivorous, but that 

 of a vegetable and fruit-eating animal ; that the same is true of the 

 intestine, that of man resembling very much the intestine of certain 

 fruit-eating apes ; that there is in a vegetable and fruit diet all that 

 man needs for his sustenance and well-being, and in a more com- 

 pact and available form ; that many diseases which attack man, 

 such as trichinosis, tuberculosis, tapeworm, etc., would be abolished 

 or at least greatly lessened if meat was not eaten. Other argu- 

 ments relating to man's physical and moral nature are adduced in 

 favor of vegetarianism. 



The following extract from a letter of Dr. Alanus, a vegetarian, 

 published in the Medical and Surgical Reporter, gives his experi- 

 ence and also his opinion of vegetarianism : 



" Having lived for a long time as a vegetarian without feeling 

 any better or worse than formerly with mixed food, I made one 

 day the disagreeable discovery that my arteries began to show 

 signs of atheromatous degeneration. Particularly in the temporal 

 and radial arteries this morbid process was unmistakable. Being 

 still under forty, I could not interpret this symptom as a mani- 

 festation of old age, and being, furthermore, not addicted to drink, 

 I was utterly unable to explain the matter. I turned it over and 



