5G2 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[January 18, 18?3. 
tlie weight of his body, while 12 to 15 grm. extrac 
of meat only contains 3-4 grm. of carbon. 
These experiments, made by Dr. Beljawski, in 
Moscow, and the conclusions drawn from them, are 
identical with the French, vide ‘ Moniteur Scienti 
fique Quesneville’ 1-15 Dec. 1871). That no experi 
ments have been made in England similar to those 
in Prussia and France proves that English physiolo 
gists possess more common sense. 
Concerning the standing of Professor Almen, in 
Sweden, it will suffice to mention here his assertion 
that “ a glass of warm water with a little pepper 
must produce the same effect as a cup of beef-tea.’ 
What sensible physician would venture to prescribe 
warm water with pepper instead of meat broth to a 
patient recovering from t} T phoid fever? Nor in spite 
of Professor Almen is this done in the Swedish 
hospitals. Beef-tea is used there in the same cases 
and for the same purpose as with us. 
That in Gottingen extract of meat is generally 
used in family households and also in that of Profes¬ 
sor Mussner, I may venture to affirm. 
In order to understand correctly the significance of 
meat diet and extract of meat, it is necessary to turn 
one’s attention to the difference of the component 
parts of meat and those of vegetable foods. Meat 
contains in its albuminates the chief requirements 
for the renovation of the muscular tissues and for 
the preservation of lasting muscular action. Those 
constituents of the meat which are soluble in boiling 
water take no part in the formation and renovation 
of the muscular tissues. But by their effect on the 
nerves they exercise a most decided influence on 
muscular work wherein meat differs from all other 
animal and vegetable food. 
By the use of meat we consequently obtain two 
effects, the one (effect on the nerves) perfecting and 
strengthening, the other (muscular action). The 
prices of other articles of food, even of those contain¬ 
ing a considerable amount of muscle-forming ma¬ 
terial, are much lower than that of meat, and are not 
in proportion to the contents of muscle-forming sub¬ 
stance. According to calculations made in my own 
household, we obtain in 100 lb. of butchers’ meat 
(07 lb. muscle, 12^ lb. bones, lb. fat, 3 lb. mem¬ 
brane) 13’9 lb. albuminates. In 100 lb. cheese there 
are from 26 lb to 30 lb. albuminates, and the liver 
and brain are likewise richer in albuminates than the 
same weight of butchers’ meat. The blood of ani¬ 
mals is richer still in albuminates in proportion to 
its price. Nevertheless, nobody thinks of placing 
blood, liver or cheese fully on a par with butchers’ 
meat. 
Vegetable albuminates are still lower in price, and 
from these is produced in the bodies of animals all 
the muscular food which man consumes. 100 parts 
of ordinary wheaten flour contain very nearly as 
much muscular food as 100 parts of fresh meat, but 
how small is the price of bread as compared to that 
of meat ! 
This clearly shows that the instinct of man dis¬ 
covered a difference in the effects of liis various foods, 
and that he does not estimate and judge them in 
proportion to their contents of carbon and nitrogen, 
or of muscle-forming and lieat-producing substances; 
but that he pays a higher price for meat because 
meat contains certain other substances which are 
totally wanting in other articles of food, and it is 
these very substances which form the component 
parts of beef-tea as well as of extract of meat. 
These substances, as is well known, impart to meat 
its peculiar value for nutrition, and constitute the 
difference between vegetable and animal diet. The 
difference between the two, therefore, is not based on 
the dissimilar nature and facility of assimilation of 
the albuminates contained in the animal and vege¬ 
table food, but consists in the fact that meat contains 
certain elements which are not to be found in 
cheese, in blood or in vegetables. 
I believe that the researches of Pettenkofer and 
Voit are calculated to throw some light on the effects 
of the component parts of extract of meat. In their 
experiment on the tissue waste of a man in normal 
condition while abstaining from food, the individual 
breathing in the apparatus of respiration was left in 
three instances without food with the exception of 
water, salt (15 grm.) and a little extract of meat 
(12| grm., rather less than half an ounce), and with 
respect to the results obtained the two experimenta¬ 
lists say, “ The state of health dining the privation 
of food for thirty-six hours was a completely normal 
one, and according to the assurance of the fasting 
man, he could have borne it longer.” Tins fact ex¬ 
plains, I believe, the physiological importance of the 
soluble parts of meat or extract of meat; they do not 
serve for the renovation of the macliine, but they 
maintain it by their effects on the nerves during 
temporary disturbances, even when deprived of food, 
in normal action, and it cannot be doubted that it is 
this effect which is paid for by the higher price of 
meat. 
London navvies who were sent out during the 
Crimean war to construct the railway at Balaclava, 
and who, according to the report of Dr. Baudin, 
created the greatest astonishment among the English 
and French soldiers by the extraordinary amount 
of work they performed, consumed daily in their 
ood from 150 to 159 grm. albuminate. 
The agricultural labourer in Upper Bavaria con¬ 
sumes in his farinaceous food, according to the ex¬ 
perience and calculations of Professor Dr. H. Ranke, 
153 grm., therefore almost the same quantity of 
albuminates as the English navvy; but how ex¬ 
tremely different are the working capabilities of the 
nglisli and Bavarian labourer in reference to the 
energy of work, i.e ., the amount of work accomplished 
within a given time ? and this difference is attained 
jy the English navvy consuming more than one 
lalf of the albuminates in the shape of meat, whilst 
lie Bavarian eats meat only on six days of the 
year. A few slices of bread and butter with milk 
at breakfast give nutriment enough for a child ; an 
adult, however, has very different work to perform, 
and he therefore increases the effect of his food by 
a cup of tea or coffee. It is stated in Frankfort- 
on-Maine as a well-known fact that old Mayer An¬ 
selm Rothschild, the founder of the eminent firm, 
never despatched any important business at night 
without having previously taken a cup of strong 
black coffee; and it may be supposed that the cele¬ 
brated financier derived some advantage from the 
effect of the coffee on his decisions, for he was not 
lie man to spend a farthing for any tiling which 
would not have given him a return. 
When the meat by boiling has been freed from its 
soluble parts, the remainder, or more correctly the 
albuminates in such residue, have no greater nu¬ 
tritive value than the gluten of wheaten flour, which 
remains after the manufacture of starch. Both 
he meat albuminates and the gluten are clic- 
