Part 17 (1/2)

A large number of diets such as those of various armies and navies, of prisons and infirmaries, and of the ordinary diets of different cla.s.ses of people, have been examined by aid of this Table, with surprisingly uniform results. But these diets chiefly refer to temperate climates; it would therefore be a matter of great interest if travellers in distant lands would accurately observe and note down the weight of their own rations and those of the natives. It is a great desideratum to know the lightest portable food suitable to different countries. Any such reports, if carefully made and extending over a period of not less than two months, would be very acceptable to me. To make them of any use, it is necessary that every article consumed should be noted down; and that the weight and state of health, at the beginning and at the end of the period, should be compared.

__________________________________________________ Table showing the quant.i.ty of Nutriment contained in different articles of Diet.

__________________________________________________________________ Articles of Diet .. C. N.

Total real ....................................................Nutri- (Carboniferous.) (Nitrogenous) ment per cent.

of gross weight.

__________________________________________________________________ Wheat Flour............. 71.25 .......... 16.25 ....... 87.5 Bread................... 51.5 .......... 10.5 ....... 62.0 Oatmeal................. 65.75 .......... 16.25 ........82.0 Pearl Barley............ 67.0 ........... 15.0 ........ 82.0 Peas.................... 55.5 ........... 24.5 ........ 80.0 Potatoes (preserved potatoes are thor- oughly dry)........ .. 24.5 ........... 2.5 ..........27.0 Carrots................ 8.5 ........... 1.5 ......... 10.0 Turnips.................. 5.7 ........... 0.3 ......... 6.0 Cabbage.................. 6.7 ........... 0.3 .......... 7.0 Lean of Beef and Mutton . - .......... 27.0 ......... 27.0 Fat of meat.............100.0 .......... - ....... 100.0 Average Beef and Mutton 15.0 ...........20.25 ........ 35.25 Bacon....................62.5 .......... 8.36 ........ 70.86 Skimmed-milk Cheese ..... 0.4 .......... 64.6 ......... 65.0 White Fish ............. - ........... 21.0 ......... 21.0 New Milk ............... 8.0 .......... 4.5 ......... 12.5 Skimmed Milk ........... 8.0 .......... 4.5 ......... 10.0 b.u.t.ter-milk............. 1.0 .......... 6.0 ......... 7.0 Beef Tea, strong ........ - .......... 1.44 ......... 1.44 Beef Tea and Meat de- coction of Broth ...... - .......... 0.72 ......... 0.72 Sugar...................100.0 ........... - ....... 100.0 b.u.t.ter................. 100.0 ............ - ........ 100.0 Total (in Seden- (tary life... 12.57 .......... 4.25 ........ 17 ounces.

Nutriment (in Active (life......... 21.00 ......... 7.00 ........ 28 ”

Required. (In Severe (labour........22.50 ......... 7.50 ....... 30 ”

As examples of the way in which the above Tables should be applied, I will now give three dietaries, in which the quant.i.ty of real nutriment has been calculated.

I. -- British Navy Allowances. (Admiralty Order, 1824.)

Gross weight Real Nutriment.

in ounces. C. N. Total.

Bread ............20.0 - 10.3 ...2.1 ....... 12.4 or Biscuit - 16.0 .. 11.4 .. 2.6 ....... 14.0 Oatmeal ........ 1.5 .. 1.5 .. 1.96 . 0.48 ...... 2.44 Cocoa ............ 1.0 - ... 0.5 ... - ....... 0.55 or Cheese ........- ... 2.0 ... - ...1.33 ...... 1.33 Sugar ............ 1.5 .. - ....1.5 ... - ......... 1.5 or b.u.t.ter ...... - .. 1.5 ...1.5 .... - ......... 1.5 Meat ........... 16.0 .. - ... 2.4 ... 3.24 ...... 5.64 or Salt Meat .. - ...12.0 .. 2.4 ... 3.24 ...... 5.64 Vegetables ...... 8.0 .. - ... 0.9 ... 0.15 ....... 1.05 or Flour ...... - .. 12.0 .. 8.95 .. 1.95 ...... 10.9 Tea .............. 0.25 .. - ... - ... - ....... - or Coffee ...... - ...1.0 ... - .... - ......... - __________________________________________________ Total ........ - .... - .. 41.81 . 15.09 ..... 57.0

N.B.--Besides this, is beer (in harbour only) sixteen ounces, or spirits four ounces.

Table II. shows the daily food actually consumed by probably the most energetic travelling and exploring party on record. It was during Dr.

Rae's spring journey to the Arctic sh.o.r.es of America. He issued, in addition, four ounces of grease or alcohol a day, as fuel for cooking. He found that it required nearly as much fuel to melt the snow, as it did to boil it afterwards. This allowance was found quite sufficient, but there was nothing to spare.

II. -- Dr. Rae's Allowances in Arctic America.

Gross weight Real Nutriment.

in ounces. C. N. Total.

Pemmican (1/3 dry meat, 2/3 fat) . 20.0 ......13.3 ... 6.6 ...... 19.9 Biscuit ............ 4.0 ..... 2.9 ... 0.6 ...... 3.5 Edwards's preserved potatoes .......... 1.6 ..... 1.4 ... 0.1 ...... 1.5 Flour ............... 5.3 ...... 3.8 ... 0.8 ....... 4.6 Tea ................. 0.6 ...... ? ... ? ........ ?

Sugar ................ 2.3 ...... 2.3 .. - ......... 2.3 ____________________________________________________________ ........ .... 33.8 ..... 23.7 ... 8.1 ....... 31.8

III. -- DMr. Austin's Allowances in Western Australia.

Gross weight Real Nutriment.

in ounces. C. N. Total.

Flour ............... 18.0 ...... 12.8 ... 2.9 ....... 15.7 Boned salt pork (say a little more lean than fat) ......... 8.0 ...... 1.9 ... 2.1 ...... 15.7 Tea ................. 0.75 ...... - ... - ........ - Sugar ................ 3.0 .... .. 3.0 .. - ........ 3.0 ____________________________________________________________ ........ .... 29.75 ..... 17.7 ... 5.0 ....... 22.7

IV. -- A Sepoy's Full Rations are: --.

Gross weight Real Nutriment.

in ounces. C. N. Total.