GENERAL APPLICATIONS AND COMPARISONS 33 



pared to a mixed diet, upon the general condition of the animal, all 

 agree. They show that the vegetable diet produces far inferior results 

 in almost every respect. Man does more work on a mixed diet than he 

 did on a vegetable diet or almost exclusive vegetable diet. Man at- 

 tains a greater stature on a mixed diet rich in protein than on vege- 

 table food. Man has made more advancement and achieved more intel- 

 lectually and physically on a mixed diet than on a vegetable one. He is 

 able to maintain his body weight and physical well-being best on a 

 mixed diet. 



The results of the experiments on the albino rats correspond so 

 closely with those on man and other animals that one is almost justified 

 in concluding that if man were subjected to the same conditions of food 

 for his lifetime the results in regard to voluntary activity, growth and 

 longevity would be the same. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



When two groups of young rats of the same age and as nearly as 

 possible the same parentage are subjected to the same environment and 

 conditions, with the exception that one group has a vegetable diet and 

 the other has the same vegetable diet plus animal food, the following 

 results were obtained: 



1. The omnivorous feeders are much more active and voluntarily 

 do much more work during their lifetime than the vegetarians. The aver- 

 age ratio of efficiency is 7.5 : i. 



2. The females surpass the males of the same group in activity. 

 This difference is greater in the omnivorous than in the vegetarian rats. 



3. This difference did not become very noticeable until the experi- 

 ment had proceeded two or three months; or until about one-fifth of 

 the total life of the vegetarians had been lived. One cannot conclude, 

 therefore, that a diet used for a few weeks is not injurious if no bad 

 results occur during that time. 



4. The total work accomplished by the vegetarians during their 

 life was performed by the omnivorous rats when but 20.9% of their 

 lives had been lived. 



5. The vegetarian rats age much earlier in life, it requiring almost 

 half their lifetime to perform the last one-eighth of their life's work, as 

 compared to three-tenths for the omnivorous rats. 



6. The growth of the vegetarians was greatly retarded. The ra- 

 tio of maximum weights was as 1.62 : i in favor of the omnivorous 

 feeders. 



