14 INTRODUCTION, 



the materials necessary. Food should be com- 

 posed of nitrogenous portions called albuminates 

 or flesh makers; hydro-carbons, or fat makers; 

 carbo-hydrates, which are starch and sugar bodies, 

 also fat producers. These are all necessary for 

 the healthy development of the animal tissues. 

 Let us see which of the various grains contain the 

 substances mentioned: 



Corn. 



Water 13.9 



Albumen 10.1 



Fats 4.8 



Carbo-hydrates non-nitrogenous 



extractive matters 66.8 



Cellulose 2.8 



Ash 1.7 



These figures vary considerably, according to 

 the ground on which the grains grow, whether it is 

 rich or poor, cultivation, etc. The above table 

 shows that oats and peas are more evenly balanced 

 than corn. They are, therefore, the grains best 

 suited for the growth and development of the tis- 

 sues of the body, and also to keep them in a healthy 

 state. When food substances are deficient in the 

 albuminates and salts, the system is generally low- 

 ered in tone, and there is a tendency to the forma- 

 tion of "exudations," composed of imperfectly de- 

 veloped cells, which, in the great majority of cases, 

 from the very beginning, are incapable of develop- 

 ment into perfect entities, having only one poten- 

 tial quality, that of dying, and in so doing cause 

 various derangements in the body, especially in 

 the respiratory organs, producing tuberculosis and 

 affections of the crlands of the intestines. Oats 



