86 SAL T. ME A TS. MILK. 



11. Common Salt is found in every solid part and every 

 liquid of the body. It has been maintained that salt as 

 a separate article of diet is a mere luxury, and there 

 seems to be some evidence that certain savage tribes live 

 without more than they get in the meat and vegetables 

 which they eat. There is, however, no doubt that to 

 many animals, as well as most men, the want of salt 

 is a terrible deprivation. Buffaloes and other crea- 

 tures are well known to travel miles to reach "salt- 

 licks;" of two sets of oxen, one allowed free access 

 to salt, and the other given none save what existed in 

 their ordinary food, it was found after a few weeks that 

 the former were in much better condition. In man the 

 desire for salt is so great that in regions where it is 

 scarce, it is used as money. In some parts of Africa, a 

 small quantity of salt will buy a slave, and to say that a 

 man commonly uses salt at his meals, is equivalent to 

 stating that he is a luxurious millionaire. 



12. Meats, whether derived from bird, beast, or fish, 

 are highly valuable foods. They supply material for 

 making tissues, for providing working power, and for 

 keeping up animal heat. 



13. Milk will support life longer than any other single 

 food. It contains water, minerals, a kind of albumen 

 named casein, which, when separated, forms cheese; fatty 

 matters, especially butter; and a sugar named milk-stigar. 

 In milk there is more lime than any other common 

 food; it. is therefore very valuable in childhood when 

 the bones are growing rapidly. 



11. In what parts of the body is common salt foun J ? What is said 

 to result from want of it ? Illustrate the natural longing for salt? 



12. What is said of the value of meats ? 



13. Why is milk a very valuable food? Name the chief food-stuffs 

 contained in it. Why is it especially valuable in childhood ? 



