A MEMORANDUM 



ON THE 



DIETARIES OF LABOURING PRISONERS 



IN 



INDIAN JAILS. 



BY 

 Suegeon-Major T. R. LEWIS, M.B. 



SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SANITARY COMMISSIONER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 



CHAPTER I. 



A BEIEF SKETCH OF SOME RECENT RESEARCHES BEARING ON THE QUESTION OF 



LABOURING DIETARIES. 



1. In the following memorandum an attempt will be made to furnish an approxi- 

 mate estimate of the nutritive value of the several scales of diet for Native labouring 

 prisoners which are at present, or have until recently been, in force in Indian jails. 

 Before proceeding to do this, it will be necessary to refer to a few general principles 

 which have to be clearly understood in order to render the remarks which will be 

 made regarding the essential constituents of such dietaries more intelligible, without, 

 however, entering into abstruse physiological details which would be out of place here. 

 A mere tabular statement of the several ingredients constituting the diets in the 

 several provinces would be of comparatively little value unless accompanied by a 

 statement of their chemical composition ; and, in order to judge of the comparative 

 merits of dietaries so analysed, it is essential that a clear conception should be formed 

 as to what particular portions are specially adapted to the nutrition of the body, and 

 in what proportion they should be given so as to obtain the most favourable 

 results. 



2. As the body itself is composed of organic and inorganic substances, the food 

 essential to its support must likewise consist of such substances. The inorganic 

 portion of food consists of water and of various salts ; and organic alimentary sub- 

 stances are those which have been produced under the influence of life, which may 

 be either animal or vegetable. In reality, however, all organised food stuffs are 



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