New-York tribune., 1903-06-01
DO PEOPLE Eat TOO MUCFf

T1a director Of the Sheffield Scientific School.
Professor Russell H Chittenden, throws little
new light on an old question in The Popular
Science Monthly for June. He mentions dis
crepancy which be has observed between fact
and theory regarding the amount Of food man
should take. Volt, of Munich. and Atwater. OF
Middletown, Conn, for instance. have set up
certain standards. which are fairly close TO-
gether. person doing moderate work" say
these experts should take from 11S to 12o
grams of proteids and enough fats and sugars
to raise the total fuel value Of his rations TO be-
tween 5000 and $500 large calories.' For
"heavy work they recommend a diet yielding
from 1870 to 4,500 calories daily. Careful ex-
periments with a laboratory assistant at Yale
showed that 40 grams of proteids. with fat
and sugars sufficient to develop only 1,600 calo-
ries. would keep him IN splendid condition. He
maintained his weight perfectly, and met physi-
cal tests in the Yale gymnasium in a surprising
fashion. The comparison suggests the possi-
bility that the food allowances of Volt and At
water are wasteful in pecuniary sense, and
hamper the system by involving unnecessary
work in digestion and elimination
Probably no fact in everyday life is better
established than that the majority Of people eat
too much. Medical men are continually de-
claring that far more harm comes from dietary
excesses and careessness than from starvation
a large variety and amount Of sickness result
from that cause. Moreover, even when he is in
apparent health, a mans activity is often SEN
sibIy impaired for two three hours by
hearty meal Professional men in particular are
thus affected Efficiency is Influenced by other
factors. Exercise, ventilation and sleep, or the
lack of them. tell on ones capacity. Nutrition
depends on the way in which one eats as well
oSnI
obligation, rather than a recognized need Of
nourishment will often dictate the character
Of even an ordinarily abstemious mans re-
past. If he wants to get the largest amount OF
work and the best quality Of work out of him
self, however, he is almost sure to cultivate
moderation at the table, at least until the con-
clusion Of his days labor.
Whether the example cited by Professor Chit
tenden should be accepted a standard Is
another question. Possibly the requirements of
that individual are exceptionally small. No one
mans experience can be safely taken as rule
for others. Two persons Of the same weight
and performing precisely the same duties and
eating their food with equal deiiberation may
differ sufficiently in other ways to demand dis
similarity IN the amounts they consume. One
may have a good digestion and the other q
poor one. If. on the other hand there is a diff
ference in the character, amount and hours Of
their work, q still greater disparity In their
needs might be expected Professor Chittenden
does not himself consider the question settled.
He wants it to be studied further. It is to be
wished that a series Of tests might be devised
in which the conditions would be altered so as to
represent a variety of types. Occupation. sex,
age, general health, leisure hour pursuits and
other circumstances ought to be taken into &C
count. sliding scale would probably be the
outcome of the research Instructive as such a
result would be, 1t might be necessary. even
then, for some people to act little tndepend-
entity. 1t would hardly be correct to say that
every one is capable of working this problem out
for himself; but, since no two persons are ex-
actly alike, it would occasionally be tudiclous
to rely largely on observation of ones own
needs.