654 



Dietaries of Labouring Prisonei^s in Indian Jails. [part iv. 



as great as, if not greater than, the disproportion between the body-weight of a Hindoo 

 and of an Englishman. There does not, therefore, seem to be any special objection 

 in this instance to resorting to the basis for computing diets which is ordinarily adopted. 

 The average weight of Englishmen may be said to range from 140 to 160 lbs. The 

 weight of convicts, however, is probably below the mean of these figures, owing to the 

 great majority of them coming from the poorly-nourished classes, and it would perhaps 

 be nearer the truth to accept 145 lbs. as the average. The weight of the majority of 

 prisoners in India ranges from 90 to 120 lbs., the mean weight would consequently be 

 105 lbs,, and this is generally accepted. Possibly, however, to adopt 110 lbs. instead 

 of the mean would diminish the margin of error, though this is considered to be a 

 somewhat high average, especially for Bengalis. 



25. Assuming that, under the conditions cited, the weight of the body furnishes 

 a fairly correct guide to the food-requirements of the individual, the proportions of the 

 proximate aliments supplied to the English Local jail-labouring prisoner which should 

 be supplied to a native of India under like circumstances are calculated in the following 

 table :— 



The two principal dietaries of lahoiiring prisoners in English Local Prisons adapted 

 to the requirements of prisoners of an average weight of llO lbs. 



According to these scales native labouring prisoners of less than four months' imprison- 

 ment would receive daily about 2^ oz. of dry albuminoid or nitrogenous substances, a 

 little over 12;^ oz. of farinaceous and saccharine food (carbo-hydrates) with about | oz. 

 fat. The nitrogen contained in the diet is 163 grains and the carbon 3,210. Prisoners 

 undergoing sentences of more than four months would receive nearly 3 oz. of albuminates, 

 nearly 15 oz. of carbo-hydrates, and a little more than 1 oz. of fatty matter. These are 

 equivalent to 205 grains of nitrogen and 3,948 grains of carbon. The proportion of 

 the former to the latter is in both diets very nearly as 1 to 20. As already mentioned, 

 the amount of nitrogenous food in the dietaries of labouring prisoners in local prisons 

 is practically the same as is contained in the diets of convicts in penal jails, a maximum 

 of 270 grains of nitrogen per diem in the former and of 263 grains in the latter. 

 Seeing that this amount of nitrogen has been found sufficient for Europeans accustomed 

 to partake more largely of nitrogenous food than the generality of natives of this 

 country, it may be concluded that at least the nitrogen-requirements of native prisoners 

 would be met by the adoption of such a standard as the foregoing. 



