112 OF FOOD. 



adopted by the universal and instinctive choice of man, the three 

 different classes of proximate principles are all more or less abund- 

 antly represented. In all of them there exists naturally a certain 

 proportion of saline substances ; and water and chloride of sodium 

 are generally taken with them in addition. In milk, the first food 

 supplied to the infant, we have casein which is an albuminoid sub- 

 stance, butter which represents the oily matters, and sugar of milk 

 belonging to the saccharine group, together with water and saline 

 matters, in the following proportions : 1 



COMPOSITION OF Cow's MILK. 



Water 87.02 



Casein 4.48 



Butter 3.13 



Sugar of milk 4.77 



Soda 



Chlorides of potassium and sodium .... 

 Phosphates of soda and potassa ..... 



Phosphate of lime 



" magnesia 



Alkaline carbonates . 

 Iron, &c. 



0.60 



100.00 



In wheat flour, gluten is the albuminoid matter, sugar and starch 

 the non -nitrogenous principles. 



COMPOSITION OF WHEAT FLOUR. 



Gluten .... 10.2 Gum . . . .2.8 



Starch . . . . 72.8 Water .... 10.0 



Sugar .... 4.2 



100.0 



The other cereal grains mostly contain oil in addition to the 

 above. 



COMPOSITION OF DRIED OATMEAL. 



Starch 59.00 



Bitter matter and sugar 8.25 



Gray albuminous matter . . . . . . . .4.30 



Fatty oil 2.00 



Gum 2.50 



Husk, mixture, and loss 23.95 



100.00 



Eggs contain albumen and salts in the white, with the addition 

 of oily matter in the yolk. 



1 The accompanying analyses of various kinds of food are taken from Pereira 

 on Food and Diet, New York, 1843. 



