43 



nitrogenous or so called respiratory compounds of the food con- 

 sumed, our respiration and the deposition of the fat within our 

 systems. The nitrogenous portion of our food has been called the 

 blood or flesh-forming part, and the non-nitrogenous, the respiratory 

 or fat-forming portion. A special adaptation of the several prox- 

 imate compounds, of which our vegetable and animal aliments are 

 formed, we fully admit : yet in attempting to construct tables for 

 the representation of the comparative value of our various kinds of 

 food, it has been assumed quite generally that all our common ar- 

 ticles of food are to be rather valued by their flesh-producing than 

 by their respiratory and fat-pi*oducing capacity. Hence their per- 

 centage of nitrogen has been recognized, with some limitation, as 

 the standard by which their value as ahments ought to be decided. 

 Judging from this standpoint, the analytical results, for instance of 

 both the Cheddar and the skim-milk cheese — 



Cheddar cheese. Skim-milk cheese. 



Water, 36.9 44.0 



Cheese matter, ] ^ on a m /-^^^ i £ ■ \ 



Casein, [ ^.90 4.50 (Flesh-formmg). 



Fatty matter, 30.4 6.0 (Respirator}'). 



Saline matter, 6.5 5.0 



we have to concede that cheese in general and skim-milk cheese 

 in particular can claim a foremost place among our common articles 

 of food on account of their very high per centage of nitrogenous 

 or blood-forming constituents* However, scientific investigations 

 of a later date, and closer observations of a successful practice in 

 every day life have modified considei-ably the above assumed stand- 

 ard for the determination of the relative value of different nutritive 

 substances. It has been proved that the comparative value of a 

 food does not dejDcnd solely on its high per centage of nitrogenous 

 constituents, but on a proper relative proportion of its nitrogenous 

 and non-nitrogenous elements with the requisite amount and kind 

 of saline constituents. "Wliatever, therefore, is wanting in one kind 

 of food has to be supphed by some other, which completes the re- 

 quirements of a normal diet. Cheese cannot be considered a com- 

 plete food of man in the same sense as milk or bread. Its position 

 is therefore a less important one. Wherever, under normal condi- 

 tions, a diet is used which introduces it rogenous constituents be- 

 yond a certain proportion, it ■will be wasted. There are other jioints 

 which claim attention when a healthy diet is to be decided upon. 

 A suitable form is of the utmost importance. In speaking in par- 



