AND COMPOSITION OF MISO. 
23 
a manner beneficial to the whole organism. It results, indeed, 
from investigations by Robert 9 that kreatin and hypoxanthin, 
as well as coffein (theine), have the property of increasing the 
energy of the muscles, when they are injected subcutaneously, 
and from researches of Thomas J. Mays 10 we may conclude 
that the relaxed heart is at once stimulated to activity by solu¬ 
tions of kreatin and kreatinin artificially conducted through that 
organ. In the same way also the muscles of the stomach 
and intestines will be affected, and thus digestion will be facili¬ 
tated. Miso and shoyu, which both contain substances of this 
kind, act accordingly not only by their content of albuminoids, 
fat, and carbohydrates, but also as stimulants, and are to be 
counted in this respect in the same class of food adjuncts or con¬ 
diments as beef extract. 
The large proportion of common salt, which is necessary, as 
already explained, to secure a slow course of fermentation and 
which essentially contributes to the keeping qualities of the 
food, does not diminish the suitability of miso for human nutri¬ 
tion. The Japanese people, especially the lower classes, whose 
ordinary food is made up chiefly of vegetable products rich in 
potassic compounds, are naturally inclined to the consumption 
of much common salt, and indeed eat more of the latter than 
westerns whose food is different. Whether this fact be due to 
mere habit or to a facilitation of the digestion of course vegetables 
attributed by some authors to common salt * 11 or, as Bunge sug¬ 
gested, to the peculiar influence of potassic compounds on the 
excretion of soda 12 , it plainly intimates that a moderate portion 
of miso soup in the daily bill of fare, even up to a content of 
100-120 grms. of fresh miso, does not introduce unnecessarily 
large proportions of common salt into the body, but simply 
supplies the demand. 
The above figures finally show that miso always contains 
9 Archiv für exp. Pathologie u. Pharmakologie. 1882, 15. vol., p. 59. 
10 Practitioner. 1887, p. 257. Chemiker-Zeitung. 1888, No. 100, p. 1662. 
11 Ogata, Archiv der Hygiene, vol. 3, p. 211. 
12 Bulletin No. 3 of this college. 1888, p. 7 
