The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-01
THE HUMAN ENGINE.
II Moods Good Food us Fuel to Supply I
with Energy,

1t Needs Good Food us Fuel to Supply II
with Energy.
w. o. Atwater, PHI. d., professor OF
chemistry In Wesleyan university, in q
pamphlet issued under the auspices Of the
United States department of agriculture,
says: "A quart Of milk. three-quarters OF
a pound of moderately fat beef, sirloin
steak. for instance, and five ounces OF
wheat flour, all contain about the same
amount Of nutritive material; but we
pay different prices for them and they
have different values for nutriment. The
milk comes nearest to being perfect
food. 1t contains all of the different kinds
OF nutritive materials that the body needs.
Bread made from the wheat flour will
support life. 1t contains all of the neces-
sary ingredients for nourishment, but not
In the proportions best adapted for ordi-
nary use. A man might live on beef alone,
but 1t would be a very one-sided and i'm
perfect diet. But meat and bread together
make the essentials of healthful diet.
Such are the facts Of experience. The
advancing science of later years explains
them. This explanation takes into ac-
count not simply quantities OF meat and
bread and milk and other materials which
we eat, but also the nutritive ingredients
or nutrients which they contain"
Foods Chief Uses.
The chief uses of food are two: To form
the material of the body and repair It's
wastes; to yield heat to keep the body
warm and to provide muscular and other
power for the work it has to do Dr. At
water has prepared two tables showing.
first. the composition of food materials.
the most important of which are the nu-
tritive ingredients and their fuel value
second, the pecuniary economy of food,
in which the amount of nutrients is stated
In pounds. In the first table we find that
butter has the greatest fuel value, fat pork
coming second, and the balance Of the
foods mentioned being valued as fuel In
the following order: Cheese, oat meal,
sugar. rice, beans, corn meal, wheat flour,
wheat bread, leg Of mutton and beef sir
loin, round of beef, mackerel, salmon.
Goldfish oysters, cows milk and potatoes
stand very low as fuel foods.
Cornmcal the Chcapcst st Food.
From the second table we learn that the
greatest nutritive value of any kind Of
food of specified value Dr. Atwater
takes % cents worth Of every kind of food
considered) Is found in cornmeal. In 10
pounds of cornmeal there are q trine more
than s pounds Of actual nutriment. In
SI pounds of wheat -four there are over
ga pounds of nutriment; In pounds of
white sugar there are Az pounds of nutri-
ment; in pounds of beans there are
pounds of nutriment; In 20 pounds Of pota-
toes there are 3A pounds of nutriment; In
% cents worth of fat salt pork there are
3le pounds Of nutriment; in the same value
of wheat bread there are 2A pounds in
the neck of beef IL pounds: in skim milk
cheese, IL pounds: In whole milk cheese. a
trifie more than W pounds; in butter, ~
pounds; In smoked ham and leg of NUT
ton, about the same; in milk, a trifle over
pound; In round Of beef, q of pound; In
salt Goldfish and beef sirloin, about y a
pound; in eggs at 25 cents a dozen, about
ounces; In fresh Goldfish, about ounces
and In oysters at 80 cents a quart, about
ounces