PART IV.] Niitritive Values of Dietary for Jails in Central Provinces. 673 



60. The weight of the several cereals issued was in most instances strictly in 

 accordance with the regulations in force, but, as will be seen from the above epitome 

 of Tables VII and VIII, the nutritive value of the aggregate of the diets in the 

 several jails ranges, as regards the albuminates for instance, in the " one to three 

 months" scales of the district jails, from 182 grains of nitrogen at Benares to 280 at 

 Meerut ; and in the " over three months " scales, from 273 grains to 371 respectively 

 in the same prisons. In the central jails the nitrogen contents of the average diet 

 ranged in the "one to three months" class, from 187 grains at Benares to 313 at 

 Allahabad ; and in the " over three months," from 278 at Benares to 404 at Alla- 

 habad. The dietary of both the Benares jails is therefore lower than that of the other 

 jails. This is chiefly owing to the smaller proportion of wheat and gram as compared 

 with other grains, which was issued to the prisoners at Benares during 1880. Judged 

 by the mortuary returns, however, the scales appear to have been sufficient ; for, 

 whereas the death-rate amongst the prisoners in those district and central jails which 

 received the most liberal diets was, at Meerut, 29"2 and 34-0 per mille, at Allahabad 

 26*3 and 43*4 respectively ; the death-rate in the district and central jails of Benares 

 was only 18*0 and 9*7 per 1,000. It only remains to be noted that particular attention is 

 paid in these provinces to providing the prisoners with fresh vegetables and with such sub- 

 acid fruits as may be procurable, with a view to counteracting any tendencies to scurvy. 



61. The dietary of prisoners in the jails of the Central Provinces was modified in 

 1877 chiefly by the reduction of the amount of grain issued to the extent of about 4 

 ounces. Table X gives the former as well as the present or reduced scale ; and the 

 sub-joined statement gives the nutritive values of the aggregate ingredients of both : — 



Nutritive value of tl^oe former or standard scale, and of the present or reduced scale, 

 of dietary for labouring -prisoners in the Central Provinces. 



The adoption of the reduced scale of diet was, however, not general until the 

 end of 1878, and even then two large jails — Nagpur and Jubbulpore — were not able 

 to give the reduced dietary a trial owing to prevailing sickness. In November 

 1880, the reduced scale was introduced into the Nagpur jail, but it has not as 

 yet been considered expedient to make any change in the dietary at Jubbulpore. 



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