The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-05-02
Is Not Essential to Hu-
man Life. +
.EMM|NENT CHEMIST
Makes o Few Scientific Ohser-
vations Suggested, No Doubt,
BY the Present Attitude
Of the Meat Prices. =

Wiley, chief of the bureau of chemis-
try of the United States department
of agriculture, is authority for the
statement that meat eating Is not es-
sential to humans. The statement has
frequently been denied in discussion
on the aggressiveness of the beef trust.
He says that the present high prices
concerning the possibility of cheaper
food products which may be regarded
as substitutes for the high-priced
meats. Vegetarianism is likely to be-
come the fad If the present prices con-
tinue, not by reason of any superior
merit of it, but because economical
considerations compel its adoption.
There is no doubt of the fact that
meat eating is not essential to human
life, and that man can be well nourish-
ed without a flesh diet. The princi-
pal argument for the use of meat 10
based upon taste. since it is admitted
by all that the function of goods, so
far as the human animal is concerned
at least, extends considerably beyond
the necessities Of nutrition.
WHAT THEY BUY.
VERY few realize" he says, "what
they buy when ordinary meats are
purchased. In the first place almost
every piece of meat purchased in the
market has large quantity of refuse,
viz, the bones, gristle, tendons and
other parts unsuitable for the table.
These, of course, are put in at stand
ard rates, and the result Is that the
actual meat which is fit for consump-
ton for which, say 20 cents a pound,
is paid in the market is worth 25 or
80 cents pound before 1t Is ready
for cooking. A glance at the table
expressing the percentage of refuse in
animal foods is most interesting. In
the case of the trimmings of the loin
as high as 81 per cent has been found
to be refuse, and the percentage in
any kind of meats rarely falls below
10. If we should. place the average
percentage of the refuse in beef or all
kinds as purchased In the market at
25 it would be below rather than above
the true number.
Then, after the refuse is cut away,
the purchaser buys an immense guam
tity Of water. In purchasing meats
in the open market only about 25 per
cent of the total weight received can
be regarded as of nutritive value.
WHAT TO EAT.
"At the early breakfasts which Amer
leans are wont to indulge in the omis-
sion of meat is advised. Many of the
ordinary breakfast foods are to be pre-
ferred, especially oatmeal with sugar
and cream, and this, together with a
couple of eggs, few slices of toast
and cup of coffee, make a breakfast
which is entirely sufficient for the
men Of sedentary employment. and
with little addition of materials of
the same kind quite enough for a la
boring man. In so far as actual nour-
ishment is concerned the very cheap
est and best that can be secured is
presented by the cereals, viz, Indian
corn, wheat, oats, rye, rice, etc. These
bodies contain all the nourishment
necessary to supply the waste of the
body, and the energy and heat neces-
sary to all animal functions and hard
labor in a form we'll suited to diges-
ton and capable not only of maintain
ing the body in perfect condition, but
also of furnishing the energy neces-
sary to the hardest kind of labor. The
waste material in cereals is very small
and as compared with that in meats
practically none at all. In fact, the or
dinary wastes, such as the bran and
germ, are among the most nutriuve
components OF the cereals, and both
health and economy would be con
served, as rule, by their consutpp-
ton, instead Of rejecting them as7in
the ordinary process Of milling. The
ordinary cereals Of commerce contain
only about ten per cent of waste, and
this Is an exceedingly small proportion
as compared with the percentage in
meats"