The Living Machine 



291 



stren^h." The results of his entire series of experiments 

 led Chittenden to the conclusion that: ''These experiments 

 on the influence of a low proteid diet on dogs, as a type of 

 high proteid consumers, taken in their entirety, afford con- 

 vincing proof that such animals can live and thrive on amounts 

 of proteid and non-nitrogenous food far below the (usual) 

 standards. . . . The deleterious results reported by these in- 

 vestigators were not due to the effects of low proteid or to 

 diminished consumption of non-nitrogenous foods, but are to 

 be ascribed mainly to non-hygienic conditions, or to a lack 

 of care and physiological good sense in the prescription of a 

 narrow dietary not suited to the habits and needs of this 



Effect of Diet on Dogs 

 Left — A dog fed on a diet containing one-half pound of meat daily. 



Eight — The same animal after several months on a diet with less 

 than half as much meat. From Chittenden, "The Nutrition of Man." 

 By permission of F. A. Stokes Company. 



class of animals. Further, it is obvious that the more or less 

 broad deductions so frequently drawn from . . . experiments 

 (on dogs) . . . especially in their application to mankind, 

 are entirely unwarranted and without foundation in fact. 

 Our experiments offer satisfying proof that not only can dogs 

 live on quantities of proteid food per day smaller than (are 

 usually) . . . deemed necessary, and with a fuel value far 

 below the (usual) standard . . . ; but, in addition, tliat these 

 animals are quite able on such a diet to gain in body-weight 

 . . . , thereby indicating that even small quantities of food 

 might suffice to meet their true physiological requirements. 

 "The results of these experiments with dogs, which we 



