On the food of man in relation to his useful work / by Lyon Playfair.

  • Playfair, Lyon Playfair, Baron, 1818-1898.
Date:
1865
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the food of man in relation to his useful work / by Lyon Playfair. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    Flesh-formers, 2-06 oz. Fat, 0-58 „ Starch, 11-33 „ Starch equivalent of heat-givers, . . 12-69 Mineral matter, 0-35 In this diet the amouut of carbon in the flesh-formers is 1-08 oz., and in the heat-givers 5-57, or together, 6-58 oz. This amount of carbon fairly represents that re- quired to keep up the vital actions, for Dr. E. Smiths found, in his own case, that 6 oz. of carbon were exhaled by him during one day's starvation, and Rauke,' in a three days' trial, found 6-4 oz. every twenty-four hours. We may therefore assume that 6-5 oz. of carbon are re- quired to support the life of an adult man without exer- cise. In the following Table are some recorded instances of deficient dietaries, although in some of the cases they were only defective because work was expected from the persons living upon them. They are therefore generally sufficient for mere subsistence during rest, but insuffi- cient for the performance of labour. An examination of the information furnished by this Table will justify the conclusion that thougli 2 oz. of flesh-formers, 0-5 oz. of fat, 12 oz. of starch and sugar, containing a total amount of 6| oz. of carbon, will suffice for a man to support the internal dynamical motions and other vital necessities of his body when he is at complete rest, they are not compatible with a moderate amount of exercise -; so that, even in the condition of low health without activity, 2-5 oz. of flesh-formers, 1 oz. of fat, 12 oz. of starch, and O'S oz. of mineral matter are necessary. This diet contains 7*44 oz. of carbon. 1 Smith, Trans. Roy. Soc, vol. cxlix. p. 081 2 Rankc, Miiller's Arcliiv. I8G2, 8. .342..