3J8 PLEASANT WA YS IN SCIENCE. 



would seem, therefore, that the amount of flesh-forming food 

 indicated in the preceding paragraph may be diminished in 

 the proportion of 47 to 40 in the case of a person taking the 

 minimum of exercise that is, avoiding all movements save 

 those absolutely necessary for comfort or convenience. On 

 the other hand, that amount must be increased in the pro- 

 portion of 74 to 63 in the case of a person (of average weight) 

 working up to his full powers. It will be seen at once, 

 therefore, that a hardworking man, whether labourer or 

 thinker, must make good flesh-forming food constitute a con- 

 siderable portion of his diet ; otherwise he would require to 

 take an amount of food which would seriously interfere with 

 his comfort and the due action of his digestive organs. For 

 instance, if he lived on rice alone, he would require to ingest 

 nearly seven pounds of food daily ; if on potatoes, he would 

 require upwards of twenty-one pounds ; whereas one pound 

 and a third of meat would suffice to supply the same amount 

 of flesh-forming food. 



Men who have to work, quickly find out what they 

 require in the way of food. The Irishman who, while doing 

 little work, will live contentedly on potatoes, asks for better 

 flesh-forming food when engaged in heavy labour. In fact, 

 the employer of the working man, so far from feeling ag- 

 grieved when his men require an improvement in their diet, 

 either as respects quality or quantity, ought to look on the 

 want as evidence that they are really working hard in his 

 service, and also that they have a capacity for continuous 

 work. The man who lives on less than the average share of 

 flesh-forming food is doing less than an average amount of 

 work ; the man who is unable to eat an average quantity 

 of flesh-forming food, is unable to do an average amount of 

 work. " ' On what principle do you discharge your men ? ' 

 I once said," relates Dr. Lankester, " to a railway contractor. 

 ' Oh,' he said, ' it's according to their appetites.' ' But,' I 

 said, ' how do you judge of that ? ' ' Why,' he said, ' I send a 

 clerk round when they are getting their dinners, and those 

 who can't eat he marks with a bit of chalk, and we send 

 them about their business' " 



