166

Class B.

Diet.

Collating these results we find—

     (i) With the fish diet an average metabolism of nitrogen of about 9.5
             grammes per man daily;

     (ii) With the ata diet an average metabolism of nitrogen of about 8.1
             grammes per man daily;

which is to be contrasted with the degree of nitrogenous metabolism attained
on the ordinary jail diet, and which we have seen to be, for Puri prisoners, 7.4
grms. per man daily. Further, the percentage absorption of protein is greatly
increased by the change, viz., from 50 per cent. to quite 74 per cent. with the
fish diet and to 69 per cent. with the wheat ata diet.

     We therefore see that the level of nitrogen exchange can be greatly raised
and the percentage of protein absorption immensely increased by a very simple
change in the ordinary jail diet, and that, by the change that we have suggested
a good deal of the excessive carbohydrate of the jail diet will be got rid of
at the same time.

     We shall now examine the evidence we have been able to collect as to the
effect of these dietary changes on the health and general well-being of the
prisoners under observation.

     The first effect of the reduction of the bulk of the diet was to cause a
certain amount of grumbling on the part of the prisoners, particularly those in
class A, on the fish diet. This went on for a few days but in a very short time
the stomach became accustomed to the diminished bulk and the feeling of
emptiness complained of disappeared. This is all the more remarkable in
Ooriyas as they are the only people we have come across who are able to
consume consistently the full jail ration. Those in class B, on the wheat ata
diet, never complained much, probably on the whole less than they do on the
 full jail diet. The period of the experiment was too short to draw any conclu-