that vegetables are sufficient for maintaining man in a perfectly healthy condition,

241. Haller-a first-rate botanist, an eminent physician, and a profound philosopher-says:-"This food, then, which I have hitherto described, and in which flesh has. no share, is salutary: insomuch that it fully nourishes a man, protracts life to an advanced period; and prevents or cures such disorders, as are attributable to the acrimony or grossness of the blood."* The celebrated Dr. Hufeland taught, that a simple vegetable diet was most conducive to health and long life. Sir William Temple -after noticing the customs and habits of the Patriarchs, the Brachmans, and the Brazillians-says:-"From all these examples and customs it may probably be concluded, that the common ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labour, little care, simplicity of diet,—rather fruits and plants than flesh (which easily corrupts), and water; which preserves the radical moisture, without too much increasing the radical heat. Whereas sickness, decay, and death, proceed commonly from the one preying too fast upon the other, and at length wholly extinguishing it."

242. Porphyry (444), when addressing Firmus Castricius, who had relinquished Pythagorean abstinence says, "You owned, when you lived among us, that a vegetable diet was preferable to animal food, both for preserving health and facilitating the study of philosophy; and now, since you have eaten flesh, your own experience must convince you that what you then * HALLER, ELEM. PHY. Vol. VI. P. 199.

confessed was true. The use of flesh does not contribute to health, but rather prevents it; since health is preserved by the same measures by which it is restored: but it is restored by the use of the lightest food, and by abstinence from flesh; and consequently health is preserved by the same means. A quiet state of mind is of the utmost importance to the maintenance of health, and a light and spare diet contributes greatly to the same end."

243. Tryon, who wrote "The Way to Health", says“I am sure that a man may make a better meal with half a pennyworth of wheaten flour made into pap, and half a pennyworth of bread to eat with it, and a little salt, and be as strong, brisk, and able to perform any labour, as he that makes the best meal he can, with either flesh or fish;

-so great is the ignorance, folly, blindness, false opinion, and custom of those that call themselves learned." Again he says" If all men would refrain eating of flesh, there would be no cause to complain for want of food: for the Almighty has, in all particulars, been gracious and bountiful unto all creatures, but more especially unto mankind; for whom he has spread a plentiful table;—furnishing the whole earth with a great multitude or variety of herbs, fruits, grains, and seeds, fit for food; which do afford a nourishment of a most excellent substance, and far beyond flesh." Dr. Adam Smith, in his "Wealth of Nations", says "It may indeed be doubted, whether butcher'smeat is any where a necessary of life. Grain, and other vegetables, with the help of milk, cheese, and butter, or oil (where butter is not to be had), it is known from experience can, without any butcher's-meat, afford the

I

most plentiful, the most wholesome, the most nourishing, and the most invigorating diet." *

244. In the "Anatomy of Abuses", published (in 1583) by Stubbes, we find the following quaint observations respecting articles of diet at that time:-"I marvel how our forefathers lived, who eat little els but colde meates, grosse, and hard of digesture? Yea, the most of them fead upon graine, carne, rootes, pulse, hearbes, weedes, and such other baggage; and yet lived longer than wee, were healthfuller than wee, of better complection than wee, and much stronger than wee in every respect: wherefore i can not perswade myself otherwise, but that our niceness and curiousness in diet hath altered our nature, distempered our bodies, and made us subject to millions of discrasies and diseases, more than ever were our forefathers subject unto, and consequently of shorter life than they. Doe wee not see the poore man, that eateth browne bread (whereof some is made of rye, barlie, peason, beanes, oates, and such other grosse graines), and drinketh small drink, yea, some tymes water, feedeth upon milke, butter, and cheese, (i saie) doe wee not see suche a one healthfuller, stronger, fairer complectioned, and longer livyng, then the other that fare daintilie every daie? And how should it be otherwise."

245. Dr. Cheyne, whose opinion has been previously quoted (152), on the natural food of man, further observes: "For remedying the distempers of the body, to make a man live as long as his original frame was

Vol. III. P. 337.

designed to last, with the least pain and fewest diseases, and without the loss of his senses, I think Pythagoras and Cornaro by far the two greatest men that ever were: the first by vegetable food and unfermented liquors; the latter by the lightest and least of animal food, and naturally fermented liquors. Both lived to a great age. But (what is chiefly to be regarded in their conduct and example) both preserved their senses, cheerfulness, and serenity to the last; and (which is still more to be regarded) both at last dissolved without pain or struggle, after a great age of perfect health, A plain natural and philosophical reason why vegetable food is preferable to all other food, is that abounding with few or no salts, being soft and cool, and consisting of parts that are easily divided and formed into chyle, without giving any labour to the digestive powers—it has not that force to open the lacteals, to distend their orifices, and excite them to an unnatural activity, to let them pass too great a quantity of hot and rank chyle into the blood, and so overcharge and inflame the lymphatics and capillaries, which is the natural and ordinary effect of animal food; and, therefore, cannot so readily produce diseases. There is not a sufficient stimulus in the salts and spirits of vegetable food, to create an unnatural appetite or violent cramming; at least, not sufficient to force open and extend the mouths of the lacteals, more than naturally they are or ought to be. Such food requires little or no force of digestion; a little gentle heat and motion being sufficient to dissolve it into its integral particles. So that in a vegetable diet, though a delightful piquancy in the

food, may sometimes tempt one to exceed in quantity, yet rarely-if spices and sauces (as too much butter, oil, and sugar) are not joined to seeds and vegetablescan the mischief go further than the stomach and bowels, to create a pressed load, sickness, vomiting, and purging, by its acquiring an acrimony from its not being received into the lacteals; so that, on more being admitted into the blood than the expenses of living require, life and health can never be endangered by vegetable diet. But all the contrary happens under a high animal diet.”

246. Dr. Craigie, who has recently published an excellent work on the practice of physic, says: "Diet consisting of animal food is not requisite, either to preserve health or maintain strength; and diet of articles from which the flesh of animals is altogether excluded, is perfectly adequate to the sustenance of the human body, in a state of good health and strength." Dr. James Mollenson (of View Bank, near Montrose, North Britain) says:-"Thus it will appear, that it is under the use of a diet chiefly of grain, milk, and vegetables, or certain simple and innocent modes of regimen, that firm health and long life have, in the great plurality of instances, been enjoyed."

247. It would be easy to cite many more medical authorities, to show that a fruit and farinaceous diet, is not inconsistent with perfect health; but this is unnecessary. I shall therefore endeavour to confirm the opinions already given, by a few practical examples.

248. Dr. W. Stark mentions, that Mr. Slingsby lived many years on bread, milk, and vegetables, without