274 FISH DIET. 



portion of I in 29 in the one case, and 1 in 27 in the 

 other. 



It is curious how long-lived are the fancies of public 

 credulity. The belief in the superior prolific powers of 

 piscivorous people prevailed so far back as the days of 

 Hippocrates. It was not destroyed by the result of the 

 experiments made upon himself by that profound phil- 

 osopher and celebrated physician, Haller. Finding him- 

 self debilitated by living on fish, he draws the conclu- 

 sion that the Eomish Church does well in prescribing 

 the sole (or frequent) use of fish to monks "generation* 

 non destinati." 



We must confess, however, that we are disappointed 

 by our researches as to the effects of fish on the human 

 constitution. The medical oracles speak with a dubiety 

 and obvious ignorance of the whole matter which are 

 unsatisfactory. In the * Transactions of the Koyal So- 

 ciety of Edinburgh ' there is an interesting communica- 

 tion by Dr John Davy, read in April 1853. He asks 

 "What are the nutritive qualities of fish, compared 

 with other kinds of animal food ? Do different species 

 of fish differ materially in degree in nutritive power ? 

 Have fish, as food, any peculiar or special properties ? 

 These are questions, among many others, which may be 

 asked, but which, in the present state of our knowledge, 

 I apprehend it would be difficult to answer in a manner 

 at all satisfactory." 



As the doctors confess their incompetency to guide 

 us to positive conclusions regarding such questions, let 

 us be thankful that the discriminating powers of the 

 human stomach have long ago determined that salmon 

 and mackerel are nourishing and delectable, though it 

 was not till the year 1853 that Dr John Davy told the 

 world that the amount of solid contents in 100 parts of 

 beef was 26, while of salmon and mackerel the solid 

 contents of 100 parts amount to 29 and 27 respectively. 

 For the credit of science it is consolatory to know that its 

 conclusions are also in harmony with experience regard- 



