the teats and udder of the animal and which, owing to the presence of fecal bacteria, bring about rapid souring of the milk with the production of toxins such as tyrotoxicon, and these in turn give rise to cholera infantum and other gastro-enteric diseases. The reaction of milk should be neutral or amphoteric, the amount of cream should not be less than 10% per volume, and the amount of total solids not less than 12%; of which at least 3% should be butter fat. Milk is not quite as digestible as meat, nevertheless from 89 to 92% is utilized; boiled milk is not as digestible as raw or pasteurized milk. (See also milk as a cause of disease, p. 99.) SKIMMED MILK is the residue after the cream has been removed; as it contains the other solids and is quite cheap, it should become a more popular article of food; the same may be said of cottage cheese. CONDENSED MILK.-There are a number of brands in the market, all made by the evaporation of the water of the milk by moderate heat or in vacuum pans with or without the addition of sugar. In the plain variety the milk is condensed to about 3 or 4 of its volume. As at present prepared condensed milk is unsuitable for infant feeding, because it contains an excess of the proteids and sugar and is deficient in fats. These objections can be removed by modifying the milk previous to condensation, so that the composition is as nearly as possible that of human milk; it then can be condensed to about one-third of its original volume and the proportions restored by proper dilution just before using it for infant feeding. WHEY is the sernm or watery part of the milk which remains after the curds have been pressed out from the milk to make cheese. It is used in certain diseases and also as a food in very difficult cases of indigestion in infant feeding. MILK WINES, like koumis and kefyr, are made from mares' or cows' milk respectively and are the products of a peculiar fermentation, combining alcoholic with lactic acid fermentations. These beverages, in addition to the normal constituents of milk, contain alcohol, carbonic acid and lactic acid and are of value in the feeding of invalids. BUTTERMILK contains all of the constituents of milk except that the amount of fat and sugar is less. The presence of lactic acid imparts a pleasant taste, and as it contains most of the desirable nutrients and is moreover quite cheap, its use should be encouraged. CHEESE varies in richness according to the amount of cream used in its manufacture; they contain from 26 to 40% of fat, and 17 to 29% of protein and possess, therefore, remarkable nutritive qualities. If taken in reasonable quantities, 96% of the protein and 97% of the fat is digested. It should never be taken in the form of toasted cheese. The richer cheeses, unless eaten quite sparingly, are very apt to produce dyspepsia. BUTTER is formed by churning the cream of milk. The amount of butter in cows' milk is about 3.75 or 4% (i. e., about 4 pounds to the 100 pounds of milk). Butter contains about 84% of fat, of which nearly 97% is digested if taken in moderate quantities. Rancid butter is very liable to cause indigestion. Process or renovated butter is the product of rancid or tainted butter which has been purified by melting and washing, and since it is sold far below the market value of butter, and possesses the same nutritive properties as fresh butter, its use should not be scorned. OLEO MARGARINE is a mixture of oleo oil derived from the richest and choicest fat of the beef, neutral lard, butter, cream or milk and salt and in the cheaper grades cotton seed oil is also used. Oleo and neutral lard are the chief ingredients. These after melting are churned with cream or milk, salted and run through cold water, worked in a butter worker and placed in suitable packages and labeled according to the United States laws "Oleomargarine." If colored to resemble June butter it is subject to a special tax of 10 cents per pound. If sold uncolored the Revenue tax is only 1 cent per pound. There is practically no difference in the nutritive value and the digestibility between butter and oleomargarine or butterine, and as it is sold for half the cost of butter, the writer, as a teacher of hygiene, has urged upon his students for years to bring the nutritive value of this food stuff to the attention of the public, and in the interest of the wage-earners to correct, as far as possible, the prejudice which has been created against its use, provided, of course, it is sold under its true name and at its real value. EGGS.-Egg-albumin has the following composition: Albumin 13%, fat 0.2%, salts 0.6%, water 86%; yolk: vitellin 15.8%, lecithin 8.7%, nuclein 1.5%, fat 20.3%, salts 1.0%, water 51.8 %. Eggs raw or soft boiled or when stirred into hot soups are readily digested, about 97% of the proteids and 95% of the fats are utilized. Hard-boiled eggs are not readily digested and for people with feeble digestion the yolk of the egg stirred in soup should be preferred. The nutritive value of a single egg is equal to 37 grams of fat beef or 165 c.cm. of rich milk. Fish-eggs contain on the whole the same nutritive principles as chicken eggs only in different proportions. VEGETABLE FOOD. CEREALS. Of all the vegetables the cereals stand at the head of the list. While the legumes contain more vegetable albumin, they cannot be prepared in so many suitable ways and are more difficult of digestion. H. W. Wiley's analysis, based upon American grains, is as follows: The following table (Uffelmann's) shows the average composition of different flours and cereals: The cereals are eaten only after a series of careful manipulations producing different grades of flour, varieties of breakfast cereals, etc. In the finest grades of flour nearly all the outer membranes of the wheat grain (bran) is separated; while this removes much indigestible matter it also removes some of the proteids and fats. On the other hand the nutritive material in bran is in a form quite difficult of digestion, and the experiments conducted by Professor Snyder in 1901 indicated that the available proteids in graham bread are not utilized to the same extent as in high grade white bread. Wheat and rye flour, on account of the gluten present, are especially suited for the preparation of bread; preference should be given to properly baked yeast-bread, and next to the patent aerated bread, while the use of baking powders should be discouraged. Apart from the fact that yeast predigests in a degree the starchy matter, baking powders are often subject to shameful adulterations. Bread possesses decided nutritive qualities, the proportion of nitrogenous to non-nitrogenous matter being 1 in 7. Experience has shown that a male adult cannot digest over 750 grams, and a female over 600 grams a day. This amount would supply about 2/5 of the protein and 2/3 of the carbohydrates required in 24 hours. When taken in proper quantities 95 to 96% of a light, spongy bread are digested. Toasted bread contains less water and hence more nutriment pound for pound. Crackers cannot take the place of bread. Glutencrackers are suitable for diabetic subjects because they contain from 55 to 75% of protein, and only from 10 to 30% of starch. The nutritive value of vermicelli, macaroni and the various grits used in soups and in the preparation of mushes may be materially enhanced by the addition of milk and cream. LEGUMES are a most valuable class of food stuff on account of the great amount of vegetable albumin present and have very aptly been called the poor man's meat. The difference in nutritive value between the immature peas and beans, which are used as green vegetables, and the matured seeds is shown by the analysis of König, Atwater and Bryant : The digestibility of these vegetables depends largely upon the mode of cooking; they should not be cooked in hard water, as the lime salts form insoluble compounds with the legumin, and after cooking the outer membrane should be removed by straining, in which case about 88% of the nutritives are utilized. If they are old, they should first be soaked for 24 hours in cold water. SUCCULENT VEGETABLES.-Almost all of the fresh vegetables, except potatoes and green peas, contain a great amount of water, cellulose and salts and therefore very little nutriment. They are rich in amido-compounds and their chief value consists in the fact that they supply the mineral salts in a very palatable and assimilable form. Potatoes contain proteids 2%, fat 0.10%, starch 20%. The juice is a valuable anti-scorbutic. If over 600 grams of potatoes are taken daily some of the starch is liable to undergo fermentation. In sprouting solanin, a toxic agent, is produced; this is liable to cause nausea, vomit ing and diarrhea. The nutritive value of potatoes can be improved by cooking them in their jackets and the addition of butter and milk; fried potatoes except in the form of Saratoga chips cannot be recommended. String beans and green peas possess greater nutritive value than potatoes, carrots, beets, oyster plant, parsnips, radishes, turnips, pumpkins, celery, lettuce, squash, asparagus, tomatoes and cucumbers on account of the greater amount of vegetable albumin present. With the exception of beans and peas most of the vegetables are deficient in proteids but fairly rich in carbohydrates and are chiefly valuable for their salts and for the variety which they give to our food. The different varieties of cabbage and spinach are anti-scorbutic agents, whilst lettuce and endive owe their refreshing taste to the presence of organic acids in the form of citrates, malates and oxalates. The efficacy of onions, wild artichoke, sorrel, scurvy grass, mustard, cress and lambs' quarters as anti-scorbutics should not be forgotten. The nutritive value of edible mushrooms is not greater than that of other fresh vegetables; they are not easily digested and have been greatly overrated as an article of diet. FRUITS, apart from vegetable fiber and juice, contain some soluble proteids, sugar, dextrose, lavulose, pectins, free organic acids, citric, malic and tartaric, and compounds of these with potassium, sodium and lime. The quantitative composition of some of the fresh fruits according to König is as follows: 0.59% 0.79% 26.32% 3.60% 0.53% 6.07% 0.73% 6.06% 0.69% 4.30% 0.31% 1.51% 0.49% 5.27% 0.82% 5.41% 0.71% 4.57% 0.72% 2.32% 0.81% 1.79% 0.49% 6.97% 0.48% 8.10% 0.48% 6.27% 0.15% 13.16% 1.02% 1.21% 4.99% 1.57% 6.86% 1.67% 1.52% 1.37% Watermelons contain 92% of water, 0.4% of protein, 0.2% fat, 6.7% of carbohydrates and fiber and 0.3% of salts. There is nothing in their nutritive qualities to justify their popularity. Ripe bananas contain 20% of sugar, 2% of protein, 0.5% of starch and a little more of fat. Fresh |