﻿IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  DIET. 
  603 
  

  

  tants 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  on 
  which 
  fish 
  feed 
  ; 
  — 
  to 
  mention 
  only 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  ascertained 
  

   myself, 
  — 
  in 
  the 
  common 
  Shrimp 
  I 
  have 
  detected 
  it 
  in 
  an 
  unmistakeable 
  manner, 
  

   and 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  Lobster 
  and 
  Crab 
  ; 
  and 
  likewise 
  in 
  the 
  common 
  Cockle, 
  Mussel, 
  

   and 
  Oyster. 
  

  

  The 
  medicinal 
  effects 
  of 
  cod-liver 
  oil, 
  in 
  mitigating 
  if 
  not 
  in 
  curing 
  pulmonary 
  

   consumption, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  established. 
  And 
  as 
  this 
  oil 
  contains 
  iodine, 
  the 
  

   analogy 
  seems 
  to 
  strengthen 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  sea-fish 
  generally 
  may 
  be 
  alike 
  

   beneficial. 
  

  

  Should 
  further 
  inquiry 
  confirm 
  this 
  conclusion, 
  the 
  practical 
  application 
  of 
  it 
  

   is 
  obvious 
  ; 
  and 
  fortunately, 
  should 
  fish 
  ever 
  come 
  into 
  greater 
  request 
  as 
  articles 
  

   of 
  food, 
  the 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  preserved, 
  even 
  without 
  salt, 
  by 
  

   thorough 
  drying, 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  their 
  use. 
  I 
  lay 
  stress 
  on 
  thorough 
  

   drying, 
  as 
  that 
  seems 
  essential, 
  — 
  for 
  preservation, 
  I 
  believe 
  even 
  hygroscopic 
  water 
  

   should 
  be 
  excluded. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  instance 
  of 
  those 
  articles 
  of 
  food 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  their 
  ordinary 
  dry 
  state, 
  the 
  expulsion 
  of 
  this 
  water 
  would 
  be 
  advan- 
  

   tageous 
  under 
  certain 
  circumstances, 
  were 
  it 
  merely 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  diminution 
  of 
  

   weight. 
  Thus, 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  table, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  Pemican, 
  

   carefully 
  prepared 
  in 
  the 
  Portsmouth 
  Victualling 
  Office, 
  lost 
  by 
  thorough 
  drying 
  

   1375 
  per 
  cent., 
  so 
  much 
  being 
  the 
  water 
  it 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  hygroscopic 
  state, 
  — 
  a 
  

   lightening 
  of 
  weight 
  that, 
  to 
  the 
  Arctic 
  land 
  explorer, 
  could 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  be 
  welcome 
  

   and 
  useful. 
  

  

  The 
  inference 
  regarding 
  the 
  salutary 
  effects 
  of 
  fish 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   sence 
  of 
  iodine, 
  in 
  the 
  prevention 
  of 
  tubercular 
  disease, 
  might 
  be 
  extended 
  to 
  

   some 
  other 
  diseases, 
  especially 
  to 
  that 
  formidable 
  malady 
  goitre, 
  the 
  mitigation 
  

   or 
  cure 
  of 
  which 
  has, 
  in 
  so 
  many 
  instances, 
  been 
  effected 
  by 
  iodine 
  ; 
  and 
  which, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  is 
  entirely 
  unknown 
  amongst 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  seaports 
  

   and 
  sea-coasts, 
  who, 
  from 
  their 
  situation, 
  cannot 
  fail 
  to 
  make 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  use 
  

   of 
  fish. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  the 
  many 
  questions 
  that 
  many 
  be 
  asked 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  those 
  I 
  have 
  

   proposed, 
  I 
  shall 
  notice 
  one 
  more 
  only, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  conclusion. 
  It 
  is, 
  whether 
  the 
  

   different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  fish 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  equally 
  beneficial 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  

   inferred, 
  — 
  the 
  beneficial 
  effect, 
  it 
  is 
  presumed, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  iodine. 
  

   From 
  the 
  few 
  experiments 
  I 
  have 
  yet 
  made, 
  I 
  am 
  led 
  to 
  infer, 
  reasoning 
  as 
  be- 
  

   fore, 
  that 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  different 
  parts 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  the 
  same, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  their 
  in- 
  

   organic 
  elements 
  are 
  not 
  the 
  same. 
  I 
  may 
  instance 
  liver, 
  muscle, 
  and 
  roe 
  or 
  milt. 
  In 
  

   the 
  ash 
  of 
  the 
  liver 
  and 
  muscle 
  of 
  sea-fish, 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  saline 
  matter, 
  common 
  salt 
  abounding, 
  with 
  a 
  minute 
  portion 
  of 
  iodine, 
  — 
  rather 
  

   more 
  in 
  the 
  liver 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  muscle,— 
  and 
  free 
  alkali, 
  or 
  alkali 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  to 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  an 
  alkaline 
  reaction, 
  as 
  denoted 
  by 
  test 
  paper 
  ; 
  whilst 
  in 
  their 
  roe 
  and 
  milt 
  

   I 
  have 
  detected 
  very 
  little 
  saline 
  matter, 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  iodine, 
  or 
  of 
  free 
  alkali 
  ; 
  on 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XX. 
  PART 
  IV. 
  8 
  A 
  

  

  