in THE THEORY OF HUMAN NUTRITION 103 



men, with one exception, during the experiment amounted to 

 0'108-0'134 gram per day, fully as low as was obtained with 

 the members of the soldier detail on their prescribed diet. It 

 is clear, therefore, that physiological economy in nutrition is as 

 safe for men in athletics as for men not accustomed to vigorous 

 exercise. There is obviously no physiological ground for the 

 use of such quantity of proteid food, or of total nutrients, as the 

 prevalent dietary standards call for. 



" The athlete, as well as the less active man (physically), or 

 the professional man, can meet all his ordinary requirements with 

 an intake of proteid food far below the quantities generally 

 consumed, and this without increasing in any measure the amount 

 of non-nitrogenous food." 



Chittenden's account of his results should be completed by 

 mentioning the fact that during the long experimental period 

 none of the individuals in the three groups lost at all in weight 

 or complained of any feeling of discomfort, once the new 

 equilibrium of nitrogen corresponding to the reduced diet was 

 attained : on the contrary many of them noticed an improvement 

 in their health, and preferred, therefore, to continue the diet poor 

 in protein even after the experiment was at an end. 



During a period of nine months, Chittenden, who weighed 

 57 kgrms., reduced the quantity of nitrogen discharged daily to 

 5*7 grrns., and even during the last two months to 54 grms., 

 which is equivalent to 01 and 0'094 grm. respectively of 

 metabolised nitrogen per kgrm. of body -weight. His average 

 diet consisted of 33'75 grms. of protein with the addition of a 

 sufficient quantity of non-nitrogenous substances, fats and carbo- 

 hydrates, to bring the total energy value to 2000 calories. 

 Mendel, who weighed 70 kgrms., discharged daily an average 

 6'59 grins, of nitrogen, which is equivalent to 0*093 grm. of 

 metabolised nitrogen per , kgrm. His average daily diet was 

 40'8 grms. of protein and a total of 2500 calories. 



If we compare these figures with those given by Voit, a 

 simple calculation will show that Chittenden ought to have taken 

 85'5 and 96'6 grms. of protein daily, instead of the 33 - 75 actually 

 consumed by him, without any harmful result, but rather with 

 advantage to his health. 



The sum total of the results obtained by Chittenden affords 

 a strong argument for economy in nutrition and a serious objection 

 to the generally accepted teaching of Voit. Chittenden's con- 

 clusions should give food for serious thought to doctors and 

 hygienists, who frequently advise over -nutrition in almost all 

 cases in which weak organisms have to be strengthened, without 

 having the least suspicion of the harm which may be done by it, 

 harm which they do not realise because it is only seen long after, 

 i.e. in old age. One of the experimental results obtained by 



