6 THE BIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE. 



pound ; formed through vegetable agency" A main question we 

 should expect in determining the goodness of aliments would be, 

 What kind of food supplies this solar-plant force, in fullest force 

 and purest form ? But no, in the remainder of the article this 

 solar force is quite left out of the reckoning. The constituents of 

 food are viewed, as the writer says, " from a scientific standpoint." 

 He gives an interesting and learned account of different classifi- 

 cations of food such as Prout's and Liebig's. He shows clearly 

 that both Prout and Liebig fail, as correct interpreters, of 

 Nature's arrangements, and then proceeds to recommend as 

 " practically convenient" a grouping of alimentary principles 

 " based on chemistry" Indeed throughout, the standpoint is 

 chemical and not biological. The result is well seen in a subse- 

 quent article, by the same writer on " DIET." He says : "The 

 required principles are contained in food derived from both the 

 animal and vegetable kingdoms, and the diet may be drawn 

 from either ; but looking to man's general inclination, and the 

 conformation of his digestive apparatus, it may be assumed that a 

 mixed diet is that which is designed in the plan of Nature for 

 his subsistence" [a queer way of getting at Nature's plan], " and 

 it is that upon which he attains the highest state of physical 

 development and intellectual vigour." "Animal food being 

 identical in composition [i.e., from chemical standpoint] with the 

 body to be nourished by it, is in a state to be more easily appro- 

 priated than vegetable food. It also appeases hunger more 

 thoroughly, and satisfies longer; in other words, it gives, as 

 general experience will confirm, greater stay to the stomach 

 (" Quain's Diet.," p. 361) [say rather, it stays in the stomach so 

 much longer]. 



But where, and O where, is my " solar force locked up in the 

 compound, by vegetable agency" gone ? Like poor Pickwick, who 

 was wheeled into the " pound" and forgotten, until his genial 

 presence was sadly missed, the solar force is left in the com- 

 pound, unthought of. 



If animal flesh is such excellent food, and mineral salt such a 

 valuable " inorganic constituent" of food, why do they treat their 

 friends so scurvily ! Chemistry can give no explanation, but 

 Biology can. Name a disease that springs from a too exclusively 

 vegetable diet ! You cannot, there is none. But we all know, 



