646 



Dietaries of Labouring Prisoners in Indian Jails. [part iv. 



CHAPTER II. 



MOLESCHOTT's " STANDARD DIET ; " EDWARD SMITH's ENGLISH IN-DOOR LABOURER'S DIETARIES ; 

 AND THE LABOURING DIET SCALES OF ENGLISH PRISONS. 



11. The late Dr. Parkes, as is well known, studied the diet-question with the 

 greatest care, and selected, as a " standard diet," a scale which had been prepared 

 by Moleschott. This scale has been very generally accepted as suitable for Europeans 

 undergoing a fair amount of mechanical labour, of an average height of five feet 

 eight inches, and of an average weight of 150 lbs. It has, however, not been 

 suggested, so far as I am aware, that this scale should serve as a standard for the 

 construction of prison dietaries, but rather for the soldier and the public at large. 

 The diet referred to is given in the following statement, the nutritive values being 

 expressed in ounces of albuminates, fats, and carbo-hydrates ; as also in grains of nitrogen 

 and carbon : — 



Moleschott' s " Standard Diet" 



This diet provides about 2 grains of nitrogen and a little over 30 grains of carbon 

 per pound of the weight "bf the consumer, per diem — the proportion of the nitrogen 

 to the carbon being as 1 to 15. The amount of fatty matter is nearly 3 ounces. 



12. Some years ago Dr. Edward Smith conducted, on behalf of the Privy Council, 

 a very extensive series of observations on the food of the labouring classes in England.* 

 The following statement epitomises the result of these inquiries as regards the nature 

 and amount of food upon which the poorer class of in-door labourers had to live and 

 earn a livelihood. It will be observed that the nature of their work is not unlike 

 what a large proportion of native prisoners have to perform in India: — 



* Sixtli JReport of tlw Medical Qfficer of the Privy Council, 1864. 



