ILLINOIS DAIRYMENS ASSOCIATIOK. 27 



The muscle and motor producing foods are known as albuminoids, or, 

 more properly, nitrogenous foods. We say albuminoids, because albumen— 

 of which the white of egg is a nearly pure sample— is a common form of ni- 

 trogenous foods, whether of animal or vegetable origin. We have animal al- 

 bumens and vegetable albumens. The word " albumen " is derived from 

 albus, the Latin for white. Albumen in vegetables is the "nourishing matter 

 stored up between the embryo and integuments of the seed in many plants. 

 It is the floury part of corn, wheat, and like grains ; the oily part of poppy 

 seeds ; the fleshy part in the cocoanut," etc. Animal albumen is "a thick, 

 viscous substance, which forms a constituent part of both animal fluids and 

 solids." I quote these definitions for the purpose of accuracy. 



Notwithstanding " albumenoids " is a term used synonymously with 

 " nitrogeuous," it does not follow that nitrogen predominates in their com- 

 position, nor even in other foods called nitrogeuous. It means that there is 

 a much larger proportion of nitrogen in them than in some other foods, 

 Many regard albumen, casein, gelatin, and fibrin as essentially identical in 

 composition and origin. These are sometimes called proteins. The white of 

 egg, which is given as nearly pure albumen, is to all appearance, strange as 

 it may seem, chemically identical with the poison of snakes ! 



The meaning of one word more, and I will come to the main purpose of 

 this paper. We have already considered " carbonaceous " and " corbo-hy- 

 drates" as heat producers and fat depositors for future use. We have also 

 considered "albuminoids" as one term indicating muscle and motor produc- 

 ing foods. The better term is " nitrogeuous," as this directly indicates the 

 real element involved— especially in motor production. It is derived from 

 ''nitrogen," which is one of the constituents of the atmosphere. The air, in 

 its normal condition, is composed of about 4-5 nitrogen, 1-5 oxygen, and 

 4-10,000 carbonic acid gas, mingled with the whole of which is a variable 

 amount of watery vapor. If these were arranged according to density or 

 specific gravity, the watery vapor would be at the bottom, the carbonic acid 

 gas next, oxygen third in order, and the nitrogen at the top. Supposing our 

 atmosphere of equal density throughout, and its elements arranged in order 

 according to gravity, beginning at the bott )m, if the surface of the earth 

 were smooth, we should have four to six inches of water, then thirteen feet 

 of carbonic acid gas, on which would rest a mile of oxygen, supporting four 

 miles of nitrogen. If this arrangement should be suddenly made, we would 

 find ourselves ankle deep in water, our bodies penetrating the carbonic acid 

 gas about five feet, with eight feet of it above us; the life-giving oxygen 

 would be thirteen feet beyond our reach, and the nitrogen one mile and thir- 

 teen feet above us. With the fir-^t inhalation, or attempted inhalation, of 

 carbonic acid gas, we would suddenly perish— for, however useful and invig- 

 orating carbonic acid gas and its compounds may be as food and drink, it is 

 fatal to respiration and destructive of all combustion. 



But nature has ordained a different arrangement of the gases composing 

 the atmosphere, and in all probability it is permanent. If the atmosphere 

 were to become perfectly at rest, it is possible arrangement according to 

 gravity might follow. But it is not certain that the principle of capillary 

 attraction, which enables the sponge to absorb water, would not render the 

 present arrangement stable, for gases as well as solids and liquids are porous 

 and probably governed by the same laws. 



