SUPERIORITY OF HERBIVORA. 927 



division of food into " elements o 

 elements of nutrition." 



The obvious tendency of Liebig's 

 augment the consumption of animal 

 mankind. But it is worthy of special notice 

 no highly civilized nation has ever yet been strictly 

 carnivorous, that the teeth, jaws, stomach, bowels, 

 and whole organization of man, resemble those of 

 the monkey tribe much more nearly than those 

 of carnivora, consequently, that man is specially 

 adapted by nature to a vegetable diet, which, if 

 sufficiently varied, is equally palatable, and far 

 more conducive to health, strength, beauty, sweet- 

 ness of body, intelligence, morality, and urbanity 

 of manners, than a diet of animal food alone, if 

 not preferable to a mixture of both. 



In support of this view, it may be observed, 

 that in all the attributes of a beautiful and vigor- 

 ous organization, mildness of disposition, docility, 

 and usefulness, herbivorous animals are far supe- 

 rior to the carnivora, nearly all of which are 

 characterized by ferocity, a fetid odour of the 

 skin and breath, with a rank, disagreeable taste 

 of the flesh, which was doubtless the reason they 

 were forbidden as food by the laws of Moses. I 

 therefore agree with Pythagoras, Dr. Lambe, 

 and Mr. Shelley, that much of the savage cruelty 

 which has characterized many barbarous tribes 

 of mankind, may be ascribed to their exclusive 

 use of animal food ; although it must be admitted 



