No. 4.] AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH. 269 



2. Fish contains no more phosphorus than other kinds of 

 animal food, and the unbolted cereals, wheat, oatmeal, rye 

 and Indian corn. 



3. People who are most accustomed to a fish diet, i.e., 

 fishermen (the natives of Cape Cod and of fishing ports 

 generally), do not give evidence of possessing unusual in- 

 tellectual powers. 



A young writer once sent a communication to Mark Twain, 

 asking his opinion as to the use of fish as a food for develop- 

 ino^ the brain, at the same time suo-ofestino; that Professor 

 Agassiz had recommended the eating of fish for that pur- 

 pose.' He replied : " Yes, Agassiz does recommend authors 

 to eat fish, because the phosphorus in fish makes brains. 

 So far, you are correct. But I cannot help you to a deci- 

 sion about the' amount you need to eat. If the specimen 

 composition you send is about your fair, usual average, I 

 should judge that perhaps a couple of whales would be all 

 you would want for the present, — not the largest kind, but 

 simply good, middling-sized whales." 



Another source of harm exists in the excessive use of 

 patent medicines. Under the false impression that some 

 sort of drug must be taken in the spring to *' purify the 

 blood," to cure a "tired feeling," to *'make the weak 

 strong," pounds of iodide of potash are taken under the 

 false name of sarsaparilla, of saltpetre under the name of 

 kidney cures, of alcohol under the name of celery com- 

 pound, nervura and so on. All of these preparations are 

 injurious, and are constantly undermining the health of the 

 victims who are continually dosing themselves with them. 



Recreation. — The kind of recreation most needed by any 

 man depends very much upon the character of his occupa- 

 tion. To the farmer, who has held the plow all day long 

 in spring time, or swung the scythe in midsummer, or cut 

 and piled several cords of wood in winter, it would be 

 superfluous advice to tell him to spend an hour or two a 

 day in rowing or in kicking foot-ball by way of exercise at 

 the close of the day. Exercise to his weary limbs would 

 not be restful. These are the kinds of recreation which are 

 most useful for the clerk and the book-keeper, whose life 

 is mainly sedentary and confined within closed apartments. 



