108 PHYSIOLOGY CHAP. 



Playfair, Darwin). The workmen of northern Bavaria accomplish, 

 according to Kanke, an enormous amount of work daily, yet they 

 live almost entirely on 1100-1200 grms. of flour per day, cooked 

 with 90 grrns. of lard, without either eggs or cheese ; on Sundays 

 only is a little pork added. The sobriety of the Turkish soldier 

 is proverbial ; he lives on figs, rice, without any wine or meat, yet 

 he is strong and very brave. The porters of Salonica and Con- 

 stantinople who live in the same way are proverbial for their 

 strength (A. Kingsford). A. Gautier relates that he has known 

 extremely intelligent persons of both sexes, who, having become 

 vegetarians for pseudo-scientific or hygienic reasons, found that 

 the new diet suited them remarkably well, both as regards strength 

 and well-being. 



We may reply that these and similar observations, which are 

 the result of experience, are not sufficiently accurate, since neither 

 the quantity of protein taken daily nor the total energy-value and 

 degree of utilisation of the vegetable diets in question were 

 ascertained. It is, however, undeniable that they afford proofs 

 that vegetarianism, whether absolute or nearly so, is a regimen 

 which enables a man to live in good health and, moreover, to 

 develop fully his muscular and nervous activity. 



There is, however, no lack of scientific researches conducted in 

 the laboratory on vegetarians, and of these we will give a brief 

 summary. 



Cramer (1882) observed for three days the metabolism of an 

 official aged 62, who for eleven years had lived on a vegetable diet 

 tempered with animal products. He took daily 71 to 75 '8 grms. of 

 protein, 47*7 to 74*7 fat, 349'9 to 642-2 carbohydrate, in the form 

 of brown bread, milk, and eggs. With this diet nitrogenous equi- 

 librium was maintained. Cramer, however, in accordance with 

 Voit's doctrine, considered this diet insufficient and unsuitable, 

 for he found that 21 -13 per cent of the protein were discharged 

 undigested in the faeces. 



Voit (1889) experimented on a vegetarian paper-hanger aged 

 28, and weighing 57 kgrms., who had lived for three years on 

 brown bread with oil and different fruits. The researches upon 

 his exchange of material were divided into three periods, amount- 

 ing to forty days in all. During these experimental periods his 

 diet consisted of brown bread made of rye and wheat, apples, 

 figs, oranges, dates, and olive oil. During the three periods the 

 diet contained an average of 8 '4 grms. of nitrogen = 54'2 grms. of 

 protein, 22 of fat, 289 of sugar, 269 of starch (557 grms. of carbo- 

 hydrates in all), 16 grms. of cellulose. This diet is equivalent to 

 015 grm. of nitrogen = -9 5 of protein, 0'38 of fat, and 9*77 of 

 carbohydrate per kgrm. of body-weight, and about 47 calories, 

 calculated according to Buhner's standard values. 



The amounts lost in the faeces were higher than in the case of 



