4-22 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
from their own pay. The average diet of soldiers in peace and war 
is as follows, in ounces and tenths of an ounce : — 
In Peace. 
In War. 
Flesh formers, 
4-2 
5*4 
1*8 
2*4 
. 18-7 
17*9 
Starch equivalent of heat givers, 
. 22*1 
23-5 
Total carbon. 
. 12-0 
12*7 
The peace diet has been obtained by discussions of the food given 
to the English, French, Prussian, and Austrian armies ; while the 
war diet, in addition to these, includes the Eussian, Dutch, Federal 
States, and Confederates States’ armies. Our own country is the 
only one which does not possess a special war diet, and the want 
of it told in the frightful mortality of the Crimea. During the 
latter part of the Eussian war, the rations to the English soldiers 
were increased ; but the diet of the English army when engaged 
in the arduous work of war is, according to the author of the paper, 
unworthy of the country — twenty years behind the state of science, 
and a hundred years behind the experience of other nations.' To 
ascertain what well-paid soldiers, engaged in occupations which 
would represent moderate war work, found it necessary to eat. Dr 
Playfair obtained returns from the garrison at Chatham. As is 
vi^ell known, the Sappers and Miners are men versed in trades with 
which they are occupied when not working at fortifications, or in 
the field. With the permission of Col. Harness, Col. Collinson 
undertook this inquiry, and, obtained the exact food consumed by 
495 men for twelve consecutive days. The reduction of these 
carefully prepared returns is as follows, in ounces and tenths of an 
ounce : — 
Flesh formers, 
51 
Starch equivalent of 1 
^ 29-4 
Fat, 
29 
heat givers, . J 
Starch, &c., . 
. 22*2 
Total carbon, 
14-8 
It will be seen that this dietary resembles much the war dietary, 
except that as potatoes are largely used in garrison, the starch, 
and consequently the carbon, is increased. The author concludes 
that a war diet should have as a minimum a supply of 5^ ounces of 
flesh formers in the food. This quantity is necessary to enable 
