But 110 one couhtry can work out these problems for the world; there- 

 are important differenccs in each country — in environment, in habits of 

 food consumption, and in the nature and composition of available fo<td- 

 stuffs — that need special investigation for eaeh. Thus far, in the United 

 States much more work has been done in the line of cattle foods than 

 in human foods. 



Jnvestigations of cattle foods have been carried on for about thirtv 

 years, and the results are in practical use all over the country. There 

 is scarcely a dairyman worthy of the name who does not try to feed his 

 cattle in a rational, scientific, and economic manner. He is guided in 

 his efforts by the results of scientific investigations at the various Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Stations; in fact, all animal feeders are now loi)k- 

 ing to these stations for trustworthy guidance in this direction, and 

 thus much practical good has been accomplished in a few years. The 

 dairyman realizes that in order to get the greatest quantity of good 

 milk from his cows he must give them a sufficient amount of the 

 materials necessary for its production. He is not actuated by motives 

 of philanthropy, for he knows he can thus get the largest return for his 

 outlay, and that his animals will do enough better work to compensate 

 him for the trouble and expense. 



Why can we not look upon the feeding of human beings in the same 

 practical way? How long will we continue to eat merely to satisfy our 

 hunger — eating anything that comes in our way, anything that pleases 

 our taste, without regard to special conditions or special needs? And 

 yet this is what the large majority of people do. How many men are 

 there in the ordinary walks of life who give even a passing thought to 

 the character of food they require — whether more nitrogenous or starchy, 

 or, indeed, even as to how much thCy need to keep them in a vigorous, 

 healthy condition. How many of us who are even in the midst of 

 chemical research, and who dwell in an intellectual atmosphere, give 

 any attention to the subject of eating, or make any attempt to regulate 

 our diet according to the scientific data at our command. The causes 

 of this neglect are twofold: First, our natural conservatism prompts us 

 to continue to eat what we always have eaten; and second, we are ignor- 

 ant both of the kinds and composition of the food needed and tlie 

 required relative quantity of each. 



Sir Henry Thompson, a noted English pliysician, says: " I linve come 

 to the conclusion that more than one-half the disease whieh embitters 

 the middle and latter part of life, is due to avoidable errors in diet, 

 * * and that more mischief in the form of actual disease, of impaired 

 vigor, and of shortened life, accrues to civilized man * * * in En- 

 gland and throughout Central Europe from erroneous habits of eating 

 than from the habitual use of alcoholic drink, considerable as I know 

 that evil to be." 



But new as the food (^uestion is, we certainly have ahiady sufficient 

 reliable data witli whicli to make a beginning, and it is the object of 

 this paper to give a brief survey of the subject, and to point out to those 

 whose work does not l)ring them iiito toucli witli tliis line of tliouglif. a 

 few of the main })oiiits and simple rules of })ractical feeding. 



This paper is, then, presented to the public with tlie liope that it may 

 help to popularize the long-neglected but important subject of scientific 

 feeding. All unnecessary details hav(> been omittcd in order to nuike 

 the sul)ject as clear as possible to tliose to whom it niay be nt^w; and 



