FISH AND FECUNDITY. 273 



ing their hale old age to inactivity." M. Coste is un- 

 doubtedly right in maintaining that the experience of 

 this singular community, which for hundreds of years 

 has preserved its vigorous type by means of a diet com- 

 posed almost exclusively of three kinds of fish, is a 

 memorable example of what Governments may do in 

 providing sustenance for advancing populations, by en- 

 couraging the use of a diet which constitutes so very 

 small a proportion of the national food. Comacchio is 

 remarkably healthy. Intermittent fever, so common in 

 the neighbouring marshes, is not frequent, and scurvy 

 is of exceptional occurrence. And thus, when the young 

 of the neighbouring district are of feeble constitution, 

 or threatened with consumption, they are sent to the 

 lagoons of Comacchio, to share in the toils and the fare 

 of the fishermen. In short, the value of a fish diet is 

 demonstrated by an experiment perfectly unique in the 

 history of the world. 



In his commendable zeal for the increase of the means 

 of national aliment, M. Coste thinks it necessary to de- 

 monstrate that there is no foundation for the popular 

 opinion that fish-eating leads to an embarrassing in- 

 crease of population. Because fish are amazingly pro- 

 lific, certain wiseacres appear to have jumped to the 

 conclusion that fish-eating races must be so likewise. 

 This idea prevails at Comacchio, one of the islands of 

 which is famed as the island of fecundity a fame rest- 

 ing on the fact that a residence thereon made a mother 

 of the previously barren spouse of a nobleman of Fer- 

 rara. M. Coste attributes this interesting event to the 

 improved health of the illustrious lady rather than to 

 the prolific virtues of her fish diet, and proceeds, with- 

 out remorse, to demolish the hopes of childless women, 

 by demonstrating, statistically, that they need not re- 

 pair to Comacchio, expecting there to have their " re- 

 proach among women " taken away. The fact is, the 

 increase of population at Comacchio is below that of 

 the inland parts of Italy ; the births being in the pro- 



