70 



THE ANIMAL AS A MACHINE. 



grains consumed by horses and cattle are considered 

 to be most perfect examples of these foods. Eggs and 

 milk, among animal foods, correspond most nearly to 

 the same desirable composition, but require an admix- 

 ture of vegetable foods to insure their proper action in 

 the human system. The meats are always defective 

 in essential elements of food, and can never be safely 

 used alone by man. The carnivora, devouring the 

 whole body of their prey, and especially fond of the 

 blood, which contains all its elements in solution, are 

 able thus to live upon animal food. 



Working animals are always herbivorous or grami- 

 nivorous, and, as in the case of man, should have their 

 best dietary carefully determined to insure their effi- 

 cient action as prime movers, and maximum economy 

 of transformation of the potential energy of their 

 foods into mechanical power. When doing no work 

 an herbivorous diet is probably best ; but when work- 

 ing the grains, and when hard worked "cut feed " and 

 coarse meals, mixed with a moderate amount of water 

 and given warm, are best. Cold water should be avoided 

 with meals, and when the creature is warm from exer- 

 tion especially ; but oat-meal water can be safely taken 

 in any quantity by man or beast. 



22. The Uses of Foods in the body are thus stated 

 by Professor Atwater * : 



Food furnishes : 



(1) The material of which the body is made. 



(2) The material to repair the wastes of the body, and to protect 

 its tissues from being unduly consumed. 



Eood is consumed as fuel in the body to : 



(3) Produce heat to keep it warm. 



* Ce7itury Magazine, July 1S87, p. 370. 



