A close imitation of "penal diet" is that which the duty of a responsible government demands should be served out during a temporary famine, that is, one calculated not to last above three months. It is more economical to introduce the elements of variety in the diet than to be too monotonous-that is, to save in the daily issue and to be occasionally liberal, to feast from time to time as a break in the regular fast. The expense of the excess is more than replaced by the diminished habitual ration, and that powerful preservative of life, anticipation of pleasure, is brought into play. A reduction of the allowance below what experience has indicated as "bare existence diet," made during the famine in Madras in the beginning of 1877, was attended with disastrous results.

By dint of mixing and varying his diet, and making it consist of very nutritious articles, such as bread, meat, yolk of eggs, and soup, Signor Cornaro succeeded in reducing the quantity he daily consumed to as little as 12 ounces (Venetian). But then he made the solids go much farther by the addition of 14 ounces of good wine. And the probability is that this gentleman had a peculiar constitution, for, in spite of his many readers, he has had no imitators of the experiment on their own persons.

2. The appropriate food of the second class may be fairly represented by the dietaries of European soldiers in time of peace. The English soldier on home service, according to Dr. Parkes, receives from Government 5 1/4 pounds of meat and 7 pounds of bread weekly, and buys additional bread, vegetables, milk, and groceries out of his pay. Such a diet is sufficient for anybody under ordinary circumstances of regular light occupation; but should extra demands be made upon mind or body, weight is lost, and, if the demands continue to be made, the health will suffer. Mr. F. Buckland, surgeon in the Guards, remarks (Society of Arts Journal, 1863, quoted by Dr. Playfair) that, though the sergeants in the Guards fatten upon their rations, the quantity is not enough for recruits during their drill.

The Prussian soldier during peace gets weekly from his canteen 11 pounds 1 ounce of rye bread and not quite 2 1/2 pounds of meat. This is obviously insufficient, but under the conscription system it is reckoned that he will be able to make up the deficiency out of his own private means, or obtain charitable contributions from his friends. Dr. Hildesheim ("Die Normal-Diat," Berlin, 1856, page 60) states that asthenic diseases are very common in the army, which leads to the inference that the chance assistance on which the authorities lean is not trustworthy. As the legal ration in these two services does not profess to be a man's full food, it is needless to analyze it. In the French infantry of the line, each man during peace gets weekly 15 pounds of bread, 3 3/10 pounds of meat, 2 1/2 pounds of haricot beans or other vegetables, with salt and pepper, and I 3/4 ounce of brandy. This seems to be enough to support a man under light employment. Its analysis gives:

An Austrian under the same circumstances receives 13.9 pounds of bread, 1/2 pound of flour, and 3.3 pounds of meat. The alimentary contents are:

The Russian conscript is allowed weekly:l

The "moderate exercise" of brain and muscle combined in the above classes is fairly represented in the convict scale by "light labor " (such as oakum picking) and by "industrial employment" (such as tailoring, cobbling, Roman mosaic and mat making, basket weaving, etc.). The dietary for prisoners thus engaged is nearly identical, except that the artisans using their brains are supplied with about an ounce extra daily.

The "industrial employment diet" for a week is thus analyzed by Dr. Pavy:

1 "Report of Sanitary Commission," 1858, p. 425, quoted by Dr. Parkes.

This is probably a fair model for the most economical dietary on which an artisan or laborer on light work can thrive. It may be observed that the principle of variety is very conspicuous, and in private life it is possible to introduce still more variety by cookery. In the English and Prussian armies the introduction of variety is left to be attained by forcing the soldier to purchase some portion of his food out of his own pocket; in the French scale it is managed by issuing spices and various vegetables, and trusting to the innate genius of the Gaulish warrior for cooking. The issue of an occasional glass of brandy on holidays makes an agreeable change and benefits digestion; but if wine could be obtained it would be better and not extravagant. The Austrian bill of fare is sadly monotonous. The Russian ration may be noticed as particularly liberal of accessory and antiscorbutic food, from which civil as well as military dieticians might take a useful hint. Vinegar and other vegetable acids are too much neglected by our handicraftsmen and soldiers. The Carthaginians are stated by Aristotle to have used vinegar as a substitute for wine during their campaigns; and the recipes given by Cato for flavoring vinegar with fruits show that it was in use among the laboring population in Italy.

3. "Active" laborers are those who get through such an amount of work daily, exclusive of Sundays, as may be represented by a walk of twenty miles. In this class are soldiers during a campaign, letter-carriers, and engineers employed on field-work or as artisans. These habitually consume on the average about a fifth more nitrogenous food and twice as much fat as the last class, while the quantity of vegetable hydrocarbons is not augmented, except in the Royal Engineers.