GENERAL SUMMARY OF DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS. 
It is of interest to compare the average amount of nutrients digested 
by the different subjects, as is done in Table 52, which also includes 
the average results of a large number of tests with young men on a 
diet consisting- of ordinary food materials, but in many cases supplying 
a large proportion of fat or carbohydrates as compared with protein, 
and of a large number of tests with young men on an ordinary mixed 
diet. 
Table 52. — Summary of digestion experiments. 
Subjects and number of experiment^ 
Carbohydrates. 
Total ; 
organic Protein. Fat. Sugar, 
matter. starch. Fiber. 
etc. 
Energy 
Ash. avail-" 
able. 
Subject C P. H., 16 experiments . 
Subject W. S. M.. 11 experiments 
Subject J. E. R.,2 experiments . . 
Subject A. V., 1 experiment 
Per cent. 
88.71 
92.56 
86.74 
r cent. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
71.76 
H",. 16 
93.70 
74.60 
79.96 
88.61 
96.88 
81.86 
70. 44 
75.05 
94.06 
76. 58 
73.51 
83.64 
93.18 
77. 02 
Pi r ct. Per ct. 
54.02 84.76 
58.47 B8.78 
37.21 Hi. 14 
53. 47 83. 19 
90. 26 
Average. 30 experiments 
Average of 50 experiments with 
young men on diet of ordinary 
food materials supplying in many 
cases large proportions of fat or 
carbodydrates a 90. Hi 95 
Average of 93 experiments with 
young men on ordinary diet i> 93. 30 95 
5. 30 86. 43 95. 10 
,54. 76 
86. 13 
a Conn. | storrst Station Rpt. 1901. p. 235. 
bConn. (Storrsi Station Rpt. 1899. p. J>7. 
The lowest coefficients of digestibility were found with subject 
J. E. R.. and the highest with subject W. S. M. The high coeffi- 
cients noted for the latter subject may be accounted for in part by the 
addition to the diet of small quantities of relishes, such as olive oil, 
tomatoes, and olives, which possibly increased the How of digestive 
juices, or may be due to the fact that he had been longer accustomed 
to the diet. 
As will be seen from the figures in the above table, the average 
coefficients of digestibility of carbohydrates obtained for the fruits 
and nuts compare favorably with those quoted for a mixed diet. 
While coefficients of digestibility can easily be calculated from the 
foregoing data for the several fruits and nuts alone, it seems unwise 
to do so at present. Later, when more data have accumulated, par- 
ticularly regarding the digestibility of fruits and nuts in a mixed 
diet, it should be possible to obtain coefficients of digestibility which 
will stand the test of criticism and be of practical use in determining 
the real nutritive value of dietaries containing- such foods. 
