When we consume more than a reasonable amount of food habitually serious digestive disturbances are sure to result,--to be often followed at a later time by tuberculosis, morbid alterations in the blood-vessels, Bright's disease, and other serious maladies of a chronic nature. Professor Chittenden, who is America's greatest physiological chemist, has demonstrated that in all probability previous workers along these lines have been excessive in their estimates as to the amount of food required. He showed that a man could live for a period of nine months on a daily ration which contained about one-third of the usual amount of proteids generally thought to be necessary, and at the same time the fats and carbohydrates were reduced to such a degree that the total number of heat units, or calories, liberated from the food scarcely exceeded in number one-half of the standard requirements. He also experimented on thirteen volunteers from the hospital corps of the United States Army, to whom he daily fed rations of only 2,000 calories, and, notwithstanding that they engaged in physical work, all were found to be in better condition at the end of six months than they were at the beginning. These results strongly point to the conclusion that previous estimates as to the quantity of food required are erroneous, and that man can not only live, but may continue in strength and health on much smaller amounts. It is highly probable that this discrepancy may be accounted for, at least to a considerable extent, by the assumption that much of the food ordinarily taken is rejected by the system, and passes out as waste, while, when small quantities are eaten, it is for the most part absorbed. _Mastication._--Thorough chewing of the food is absolutely essential for proper digestion. While it is true that this, like all other good things in life, may be, and often is, carried to an unnecessary extreme, it is certainly true that we would be infinitely better off if we were to go to the extent in this direction of so called "Fletcherism" rather than perform this most important function in an indifferent manner. This rule applies with especial force to food of a starchy nature,--bread, potatoes, oatmeal, rice, etc. In order to digest food of this character it must be very thoroughly cooked and when finally placed upon the table it should be of such consistence that it requires chewing before it can be swallowed. Not only is this necessary from the standpoint of breaking up the larger particles into smaller ones, thus permitting the food to pass freely through the stomach and intestine, but it is of the greatest importance for it to be thoroughly soaked with the saliva during the process. It is thus of no advantage for starches to be served in a finely divided form--in fact it is directly the contrary, since under such circumstances it is almost always the case that such foods are swallowed without having been insalivated.