38 ADVANCED PHYSIOLOGY 



interesting to note the great variety of foods on which people 

 live. Americans do not eat the same foods as Japanese, 

 and yet one nation thrives as well as the other. The Spar- 

 tans subsisted mainly on dried fruits and honey; the Chinese 

 employ rice as a staple article of diet, and many of the Italians 

 make a similar use of chestnuts. White caterpillars, seal 

 or whale blubber, tallow candles, leather, shark's fins, grass- 

 hoppers, earthworms, deer's sinews, dogs, cats, rats, are 

 choice articles of diet with different people. These seem odd 

 preferences, but are they more so than oysters or crabs in 

 their shells, and shrimps or frozen cream, all of which are 

 common with us? 



The fact is that with the exception of the woody tissues 

 of plants, almost any part of an animal or plant may yield 

 nourishment, and under some conditions serve as food. 

 From an endless list, our selection depends chiefly upon 

 the customs of the community in which we live, on our 

 taste and on the cost. A person is always mistaken when 

 he thinks that any particular kind of food is a necessity. 

 We can all adapt ourselves to a wide variety and it is best to 

 become accustomed to the kinds of food most conveniently 

 obtained under the ordinary conditions of living in one's own 

 community. 



Some foods are more useful than others; some are ex- 

 pensive, some difficult to digest and some dangerous to 

 health. It is fortunate for the majority of people that the 

 expensive foods are really no better than the cheaper ones; 

 indeed, expensive kinds are usually rich foods which, in 

 the end, are almost sure to produce digestive troubles. 



THE VALUE OF DIFFERENT FOODS 



Many things have to be considered in determining what 

 it is best to buy for the table. Certain very good foods do 

 not grow in some parts of the country, and this makes them 

 expensive. Other foods are expensive even where they 



