314 Wiscomm STATE AGRICULTURAL SOGIETT. 
be borne in mind that we eat and drink in order to live, because it 
is a law of our nature, not that we live to eat and drink. 
Of the kind of food best for the nourishment of our human organ¬ 
ism, we propose to treat in the present paper, not only that which 
will, so far as it goes, be most likely to preserve us in health, but 
that which will tf^nd to develop the highest type of the physical 
man. The kind of food required by any particular animal is deter¬ 
mined by the peculiar form of the masticating organs of the said 
animal. The carnivora, as the dog, cat, etc., have teeth suited only 
for eating flesh, and herbs and grains would be entirely unsuited to 
their nutrition. Other animals, as the ox and sheep, have teeth 
fitted only for the proper mastication of grasses, herbs, and other 
vegetable products. The rule we have given, that is, “ that the 
proper food for any species of animal is determined by the form of 
its masticating organs,” is of such universal application, and of 
such rare exception, that upon it has been based a department of 
natural science called Paleontology. To those skilled in this 
branch of science, it is only necessary to examine the teeth of an 
animal, and its food and many of its habits become apparent at 
once. The accuracy of the methods of this science is such that the 
fossil remains of many extinct species of animals are sufficient in¬ 
dicators of their habits and mode of life, and by this means much 
accurate knowledge of prehistoric animals and even of the* condi¬ 
tion of the earth in times when they existed, has been developed in 
our day. 
Following this rule of the naturalist, we observe that man is 
designed to be nourished by various kinds of food. The peculiar 
construction of his teeth adapts him to eating flesh, vegetables, 
fruits, grains and farinaceous substances—he is in fact omnivorous. 
That he is designed to live on various and in many cases dissimilar 
foods, that these are necessary to preserve his health, and to fully 
develop his physical being is a truism which the experience of ages 
has established. It is also observed that many peoples who have 
for ages lived on coarse and insufficient food have degenerated from 
generation to generation until perfect ph^^sical develvopment is al¬ 
most unknown among them. They become stinted in stature, 
coarse in feature, and lacking the intellectual force and physical 
activity which marks the character of more favored nations. That 
this is true of the lower classes of many European nations every 
