The following table of the composition of the different foods and the amount of heat units they produce will make it easy to figure out whether a certain known quantity of taken nourishment is sufficient to maintain the body in balance or not.

I. Dairy Products

Albumin, per cent.

Fat, per cent.

Carbohydrate, per cent.

Calories, per 100.

Cow's milk ............

4.0 to 4.3

3.0 to 3.8

3.7

64

Cream ..................

3.61

26.75

3.52

276.01

Butter ....................

0.5

90.0

0.5

837

Whey ......................

0.5

0.3

3.G

Buttermilk ..................

3.0

1.3

3.0

3.67

Kumyss (of cow's milk)

8.35

2.07

0.7 lactic acid

1.9 alcohol

32.99

0.8 carbonic acid

Cheese (cream) .................

25.0

30.0

3.0

394

Cheese .............................

33.0

9.0

5.0

240

Egg ...........................

12.5

12,0

0.5

165

1Koenig: "Die menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel." Berlin, 1883, p. 58.

2Von Noorden: Berliner Klinik, Heft 55

II. Meats And Game

Albumin, per cent

Fat per cent

Carbohydrate, per cent.

Calories, per 100

Beef (fat)...

17.19

26.38

...

315.81

Beef (lean)...

20.78

1.50

....

99.13

Veal (fat)..............

18.88

7.41

0.07

146.61

Veal (lean)...

19.84

0.82

...

86.97

Mutton (very fat)....

14.80

36.39

0.05

399.31

Mutton (leaner)...

17.11

5.77

...

123.81

Pork (fat)..............

14.54

87.84

...

406.88

Pork (lean).....

20.25

6.81

....

146.36

Ham (Westphalian)...

28.97

36.48

1.50

453.69

Sweetbread...

22.0

0.4

98.92

Pulverized meat.....

64.5

5.24

...

322.33

Poultry......

22.0

1.0

....

100

Spring chicken...

18.49

9.34

1.20

167..59

Duck (wild)....

22.65

3.11

2.33

131.36

Squab......

22.14

1.00

0.76

100.07

Game....

23.0

1.0

...

103.60

Hare....

23.34

1.18

0.19

107.08

Venison...

19.77

1.92

1.43

105.44

III. Fish

Albumin, per cent.

Fat per cent.

Carbohydrate, per cent.

Calories, per 100.

Pike.......

18.5

0.5

0.75

83 57

Carp...................

20.61

1.09

....

94.64

Shellfish.....

17.09

9.84

...

156.93

Salmon......

15.01

6.42

2.85

132.93

Sardellen

22.30

2.21

0.45

113.83

Oysters.................

4.95

0.37

...

24

Salt herring....

19.5

17.0

0.5

Caviar....

28.04

16.26

7.82

IV. Cereals And Vegetables

Albumin, per cent

Fat, per cent

Carbohydrate per cent

Calories, per 100

Sago....

0.5

traces

86.5

356.70

Wheat flour....

8.5

1.25

78.0

345.78

Rye flour......

10.0

2.0

69.0

342.50

Wheaten bread....

6.0

0.75

52.0

245

Rye bread...

4.5

1.0

46.0

356

Roll...

6.82

0.77

48.72

213.87

Zwieback....

9.5

1.0

75.0

356

Cauliflower...

2.0 to 5.0

0.4

4.0

35

Albumin, percent.

Fat, percent.

Carbohydrate, per cent.

Calories, per 100.

Carrots.....

1.04

0.21

6.74

33.85

Asparagus....

2.0

0.3

2.5

21

Rice......

5.5

1.5

76.0

348.10

Beans.......

19.5

2.0

52.0

311.75

Peas.....

19.5

2.0

54.0

319.95

Potatoes.....

1.5

....

20.0

88

Oatmeal.....

12.5

5.26

66.77

338.80

Barley meal.....

8.31

0.81

75.19

323

Spinach....

3.49

0.58

4.44

38

Pickles.................

1.02

0.09

0.95

V. Soups And Beverages

Albumin, percent.

Fat, percent.

Carbohydrate, percent.

Calories, per 100.

Milk soap with wheat flour....

5.0

3.25

15.0

112

Meat broth (ordinary) ..

0.4

0.6

Meat juice (pressed)....

6.0 to 7.0

0.5

Beef tea.......

0.5

0.5

Leube's meat solution.

9.0 to 11.0 albumin

+ 1.79 to 6.5 peptone

Malt extract.....

8.0 to 10.0

...

55.0

258.30

Barley soup.....

1.5

1.0

11.0

60.96

Rice pap with milk.....

8.8

3.5

28.6

182.61

Coffee.....

3.12

5.18

Tea......

12.38

Beer.......

0.5

5.25

0.3

Porter................

0.7

6.0

0.3

60

VI. Fruits

Free acid, percent.

Albumin, per cent.

Fat, percent.

Carbohydrate, per cent.

Apples....

0.82

0.:36

....

7.22

Pears.........

0.20

0.36

....

3.54

Plums......

1.50

0.40

....

4.68

Peaches......

0.92

0.65

....

7.17

Grapes..........

0.79

0.59

....

1.96

Strawberries....

0.93

0.54

0.45

1.01

Chestnuts....

...

5.48

1.37

38.34

Sugar cane....

....

....

...

3.40

Honey....

....

1.20

....

5.28

According to K. Vierordt 1 an adult takes in form of food a daily average of 120 gm. albumin, 90 gm. fat, 330 gm. carbohydrate (the relation of the nitrogenous food-stuffs to the non-nitrogenous being 1 to 4), and 2,818 gm. of water. The above-mentioned figures differ from those given by F. Hirschfeld.2 This author considers 80 gm. of albumin as the lowest amount contained in a sufficient diet. Some experiments which I3 have made in order to determine the amount of nourishment taken by myself during the summer showed figures which resembled those of Hirschfeld. The quantity of albumin was 79.39, fat 54.3 and carbohydrate 263.9; the total of heat-units equalled 1,912.5. The amount of heat-units per kilogramme a day was 32.2. Victuals are composed mostly of all the three food groups (albumin, carbohydrate, fat) and water, and contain in minute amounts the inorganic salts found in the body.

We are accustomed to speak of easily digestible foods, and those difficult of digestion. The term of easily or less digestible cannot, however, be explained without some qualifications. Many writers judge the digestibility of foods by the length of time they require for their digestion in the stomach. Penzoldt4 has lately made many investigations with regard to the sojourn of food in the stomach in health. He, however, lays stress on the distinction between gastric and intestinal digestibility, the former being recognized by the length of time the food remains in the stomach, the latter being measured by its more or less complete utilization or assimilation, that is, the amount of residue excreted with the faeces. In giving a list of the digestibility of different foods I follow Penzoldt's views.

1K. Vierordt: "Grundriss der Physiologic des Menschen." 1887, 3 Auflage, pp. 288, 289.

2P. Hirschfeld: Berliner klin. Wochenschr., 1893. No. 14.

3 Max Einhorn: "Dietetics in Diseases of the Stomach." Medical, Record, June 24th. 1898.

4 Penzoldt und Stinzing: "Handbuch der speciellen Therapie innerer Krankheiten," Jena, 1895.