1258 LIFE : OUTLINES OF GENERAL BIOLOGY 



lined waistcoat; then a Jaeger woollen shirt; and then a 

 woollen vest. So this man was actually wearing five skins beside 

 his own. 



In regard to food, of course, there is abundance of wise counsel. 

 The important thing is to realise that food is necessary for growing, 

 for repairing wear and tear, for keeping up the animal heat, and for 

 muscular work; and it stands to reason that if we are not growing 

 and working, we should not be eating so much. If there is only a 

 little work to be done, there should be less food. Common sense 

 this is, and yet we are apt to forget that the amount and character 

 of the food should be decided in relation to growth, work, wear and 

 tear, and climate. 



There is still much to say about work and function, but, thanks 

 to the heroic efforts of the medical profession, occupational diseases 

 are rapidly dwindling away. In our student days there was a well- 

 known big volume called Diseases of Occupations, but we have been 

 told by those who know that most of that volume is now ancient 

 history, for there are few of the really detrimental occupations now 

 being tolerated. And here, of course, we should remember that the 

 putting an end to diseases of occupations is largely in our own 

 hands, for the criticism of expenditure gives us a powerful lever. It 

 rests with us by our expenditure to decide whether certain occu- 

 pations should continue or not. If you are giving a present, do not 

 let it be a piece of modern carved ivorj^ first because it is likely to 

 be bad, and secondly because carving ivory is one of the de- 

 teriorating occupations, since no means has yet been devised for 

 preventing the very fine dust getting into the lungs. We read in the 

 papers recently a note as to the revival of the cut-glass industry, and 

 we could not help feeling sorry, for it was far from being a whole- 

 some industry in days gone by, and the difficulties have not been 

 overcome. If you are giving a present, therefore, do not give a 

 piece of carved ivory or cut-glass, give rather a sketch, or something 

 of a like artistic nature, so as to help the artist, who is always 

 having such a hard struggle for life. In any case, it rests with us 

 by our expenditure to regulate whether unwholesome occupations 

 develop or disappear. 



Let us recall a well-known fact in natural history which is very 

 suggestive. In the hills of the white ants, as in the hills of true ants, 

 there are frequently guests, and these guests are usually little beetles 

 or two-winged flies. They are tolerated just like cats in a human 

 dwelling. Now in certain cases these guests suffer from a most 

 extraordinary condition known as physogastry. It is one of the few 

 cases of something approaching disease in wild nature. It is an 

 interesting and curious condition. The beetles, which are well- 

 proportioned creatures to start with, begin to exhibit a terribly 

 swollen abdomen ; then they get very sluggish, their wings drop off, 



