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suggested. Granting that we are correct in assuming that the prisoner, on the-
average, lives on 7.55 grms. of nitrogen per day and that he remains healthy and
even puts on flesh on this amount, there is no urgent necessity to increase his nitro-
genous metabolism. But, when we find that the quantities of the component parts
of the diets are so great that they are beyond the amounts from which the best
absorption can take place, we have a very strong indication for the reduction of
those quantities to something approaching proper limits. Those limits we have
tried to lay down, and we believe that we have succeeded in defining them.

     We find 18 ozs. of rice per man daily to be the amount from which a maxi-
mum absorption takes place; we believe that it will be to the advantage of the
prisoners to reduce the dal to 4 ozs. per man daily and substitute for the 2 ozs
dal cut off, 4 ozs. of wheat ata—in certain prisons giving, say twice a week, 4 ozs.
of fish in place of the wheat ata. There is no doubt that in addition to being
beyond the amount from which a maximum absorption is obtained, the 6 ozs.
of dal of the jail diet have a decided tendency to cause diarrhœa and digestive
disturbances; we have therefore no hesitation in recommending the reduction of
this quantity to 4 ozs.

B.—BEHARI DIET.

     We now come to a consideration of diets in which the quantity of rice should
not be the outstanding feature. The Beharis are much more a wheat-eating
than a rice-eating people, and therefore a larger proportion of the protein of the
dietaries of Behar jails is derived from wheat ata than from rice. The effect of
this is that the diet is very much superior to that of Lower Bengal jails in the
quantities of the proximate principles offered, more particularly with regard to
the amount of protein and fat.

     The diet scales laid down for Behari jails are:—

     We shall take up the investigations on the nutritive value of these diet scales
under the same heads and in the same order as was done with regard to Bengali
diets. The experience gained in Bengal jails led us at once to the proper
method of investigation so that, instead of wasting time in trying to find a con-
stant co-efficient of absorption for the protein of the different elements of the diets,
we accepted the established. fact of the previous results that the co-efficient of

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