THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 189 
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In brief, while fish contain somewhat less percentages of nu- 
trients than ordinary meats, they have more waste, more water, 
and less fat. The nutrients they do contain seem to be very 
similar in constitution, and in nutritive value to those of other 
animal foods. 
COMPARATIVE EXPENSIVENESS OF ACTUAL NUTRIENTS IN FISH AND 
OTHER FOODS. 
The relative physiological values of the nutrients in different 
foods depends upon (1) their digestibility and (2) their functions 
and the proportions in which they can replace each other in 
nutrition. An accurate physiological valuation is, in the present 
state of our knowledge, at least, impracticable. The pecuniary 
costs of the nutrients are, however, more nearly capable of ap- 
proximation. 
From extended comparisons of the composition and market 
prices of the more important animal and vegetable food-mater- 
ials, such as meats, fish, flour, etc., those which serve for nour- 
ishment and not as luxuries, and form the bulk of the food of 
the people, it has been estimated that a pound of protein costs, 
on the average, five times as much, and a pound of fats, three 
times as much as a pound of carbo-hydrates; that in other 
words, ‘these three classes of nutrients stand related to each 
other in respect to cost, in the proportion: 
Assumed ratios ( Protein . 5 
of costs in Fats 6 See 
staple foods: ( Carbo-hydrates 1 
Suppose a pound of beef of average fatness to cost 25 cents, 
and to contain 25 per cent of inedible matters, bone, etc., 45 per 
cent. of water, and 30 per cent of nutritive substance, upon which 
latter—the bone and water being assumed to be without nutri- 
tive value—the whole cost comes. The 30 per cent. or vcs pounds 
of nutritive substance thus costs 25 cents, or at the rate of 835 
cents per pound. If now we leave out of account the minute 
quantities of carbo-hydrates and the mineral matters, the whole 
cost will fall upon the protein and fats. Assuming these to cost 
in the ratio of 5:3 and the amounts in the meats to be: protein 
14 per cent., and the fats 15 per cent., an easy computation 
