274 Mr. J. Douglas on the Source of Muscular Force. 



It appeared to me possible that the natives of India might 

 furnish a class of persons who habitually ingest the required mi- 

 nimum of nitrogenous food, and that the quantity of muscle 

 formed under the most favourable suppositions from this might 

 be insufficient to supply by its disintegration the internal work 

 alone ; the difficulties of time, generality, absolute determination 

 of excreta, and determination of external work might in such a 

 case be eliminated. After some inquiry amongst the native po- 

 pulation, I thought it possible that the jail dietary-scales might 

 furnish the data required, and with many advantages which 

 could not be hoped for from inquiry amongst the free population. 

 Through the kindness of Dr. Wilson, in medical charge of the 

 Madras Penitentiary, I was supplied with the dietary-scales in 

 use in that prison, and from this paper I shall select only two 

 instances. 



The items composing these diet-scales may be divided into two 

 classes — (1) articles the same quantities of which are served out 

 daily, and (2) articles which are varied in quantity on different 

 days in the week. In the Table given below, of articles belong- 

 ing to the first class the actual daily quantities, of those belong- 

 ing to the second the average daily quantities calculated for one 

 week are given : — 



Table of Nitrogenous Food served out to classes of Prisoners in 

 the Madras Penitentiary. 



Articles. 



Proportion 

 of proteine 

 com- 

 pounds. 



Brahmins. 



Malays and Chinese. 



Daily 



quantities 



of food. 



Quantities 

 of proteine 

 com- 

 pounds. 



Daily 

 quantities 

 of food. 



Quantities 

 of proteine 



com- 

 pounds. 



Rice 



•08 

 •24 

 •24 

 •20 

 •04 

 •04 

 •03 

 •03 

 •03 



•07 



ozs. 



25 000 



2-857 



•500 

 •500 

 2-571 

 •500 

 •029 



10-000 



ozs. 

 2-000 

 0-686 



6-020 

 0020 

 0077 

 0015 

 •001 



0-700 



ozs. 

 26-000 

 0-857 

 1-889 

 1-250 

 0-500 

 0-500 

 2-571 

 0-500 

 0029 



4-286 



ozs. 

 2080 

 0-206 

 0-453 

 0-250 

 0020 

 0020 

 0-077 

 0015 

 0001 



0-300 



Dholl 



Mutton 



Fish 











Garlic 



Butter-milk or tyre 1 

 (curdled milk) ... / 



Total proteine com-"! 

 pounds J 







3-519 





3-422 



Simple imprisonment p 



risoners, and prisoners 

 ifth less.... 



•704 





•684 







A 





2-815 



B 



2-738 









