“The greatest asset of all, the physical health of our citizens, is still neglected. Professor Nicholson, an economist of Scotland, has estimated that the living capital of Great Britain is worth five times the physical capital. That is, if we capitalize each man’s working capacity and add together this capitalization throughout the whole realm of Great Britain, the value of the population so obtained is five times the value of all the land and all the railroads and all the buildings, and all the iron mines and all the other capital which is ordinarily called wealth. If we could make this human capital within the United States double its present worth (it is already five times that of the inanimate capital), it is evident what an enormous improvement would ensue as compared with the possible improvements in saving arid lands, and other physical resources. Our health has much more than a money value. But these calculations show that even on the most materialistic method of reckoning, there is truth in Emerson’s statement, “the first wealth is health.” APPENDIX DIET LIST Proteid Carbo Fat % Water % Mineral Food Value % hydrate Matter per pound % % calories Broiled tenderloin steak 23.5 0 20.4 54.8 1.2 1300 Lamb chops, broiled 21.7 0 29.9 47.6 1.3 1665 Smoked ham, fat, edible portion 14.3 0 52.3 27.9 3.7 2485 Roast turkey, edible portion 27.3 0 18.4 52.0 1.2 1295 Fricasseed chicken, edible portion 17.6 2.4 11.5 67.5 1.0 855 Cooked bluefish, edible portion 26.1 0 4.5 68.2 1.2 670 Canned salmon, edible portion 21.8 0 12.1 63.5 2.6 915 Fresh oysters, solid 6.0 3.3 1.3 88.3 1.1 230 Boiled hen’s eggs 13.2 0 12.0 73.2 0.8 765 Butter 1.0 0 85.0 11.0 3.0 3605 Full cream cheese 25.9 2.4 33.7 34.2 3.8 1950 Whole cow’s milk 3.3 5.0 4.0 87.0 0.7 325 Wheat flour, entire wheat 13.8 71.9 1.9 11.4 1.0 1675 Boiled rice 2.8 24.4 0.1 72.5 0.2 525 Shredded wheat 10.5 77.9 1.4 8.1 2.1 1700 Macaroni 13.4 74.1 0.9 10.3 1.3 1665 Brown bread 5.4 47.1 1.8 43.6 2.1 1050 Wheat bread or rolls 8.9 56.7 4.1 29.2 1.1 1395 Whole wheat bread 9.4 49.7 0.9 38.4 1.3 1140