GENERAL APPLICATIONS AND COMPARISONS 3 1 



exclusively ox-flesh diet the result was favorable, growth being pro- 

 moted, the anmials reaching a larger size than the normal control rats. 



In regard to races of men it is interesting to note that those whose 

 stature is large partake freely of meat, while those of small physique 

 live largely on a vegetable diet. 



Oshima^^ says in regard to the Japanese: "Among the ordinary 

 famiHes in the rural district the use of meat is (of necessity) restricted 

 chiefly to festive occasions ; and among the poorer peasantry even rice is 

 used at such times." He further says that the poorer classes of cities and 

 country, comprising about 75% of the total population, are vegetarians 

 from force of financial circumstances rather than from principle. They 

 eat animal food whenever they can get it. This usually consists of fish 

 two or three times a month, and meat two or three times a year. 



Boas^® found that the North American Indians living on the moun- 

 tains are smaller than those living on the plains. He attributes this to 

 greater abundance of rich food on the plains. 



Sill,^'^ in his study of malnutrition of the school children in New 

 York City, found that out of 210 cases, 83% practically depended on 

 vegetable food, consisting largely of bread, tea and coffee. 



Albertoni and Rossi^^ found that when meat was added to the diet 

 of the peasants of the Abruzzi region, who had been almost exclusively 

 vegetarians for generations, there was an increase in power of assimi- 

 lation, in body weight, and in physical power. 



Houssay,^® in his experiments on chickens fed exclusively on ani- 

 mal and vegetable rations, found that the chickens fed on animal food 

 grew much faster than those fed on vegetable rations. This corres- 

 ponds closely to my experiments on the rats. 



These results correspond closely with those of Bolte.^° He fed 

 chickens on a number of rations, and concludes : " In the absence of 

 skim milk to mix with the grain, some other animal concentrate should be 

 supplied. A ration containing 10% of animal meal gave a much 

 greater gain than rations containing either no animal meal or 20% 

 animal meal. The cost of feed per pound of gain was lessened one- 

 third under the same condition. 



In regard to therapeutics, diet has a great value. 



Rubner,^^ in his studies on the diet of the poor who have lived 

 largely or wholly on vegetables, concludes that this diet is the cause of 

 lack of physical condition and ability for work; that it causes an in- 

 crease in morbidity and mortality by lowering the ability to resist epi- 

 demic diseases. 



In the treatment of tuberculosis it has been found^^ that food with a 

 rich protein content is of great value. 



