Regularity in the time of taking meals is important, as the digestive organs acquire habits like other parts of the body. Work ought not, if possible, to be resumed immediately after meals, nor active exercise of any kind. These tend to abstract blood from the digestive organs, and so diminish the efficiency of digestion. =Vegetable and Animal Foods.=—The fact that the food we require can be obtained from the vegetable world has led to the proposition that vegetable food should be taken alone. It is urged in favour of this plan, that a large amount of suffering to animals would be prevented. Also that animal food is not so economical as vegetable, land being more economically employed in producing corn than in feeding cattle. Thirdly, there is the indubitable fact that health can be maintained for prolonged periods on vegetable food (including nuts, cereals, fruits, etc.) On the other hand, the chief objections to a purely vegetable diet are that the undigested refuse is greater than with an equal quantity of animal food; that a longer time and more exertion than for animal foods are required in digesting the most nutritious vegetable foods, such as legumens, while other vegetable foods do not contain a sufficient proportion of nitrogenous material. Also, if one lived entirely on vegetable food, a greater bulk would be required, and owing to the fact that such food is less easily absorbed, satisfaction to the appetite would not so soon be produced. Animal food has a great advantage as regards convenience. Man is not an eating machine; he requires food which is easily converted into the body substance, and this is supplied by the flesh of animals, milk and eggs, with a due proportion of non-nitrogenous food; sheep and oxen work up indigestible vegetable materials into easily assimilable mutton and beef. The greater convenience of animal food as a supply of proteid is shown by the following examples of foods _after the removal of water_:— 100 parts of rice contain 7 parts of proteid. „ wheat „ 16 „ „ „ pea flour „ 27 „ „ „ fat beef „ 51 „ „ „ dried lean beef „ 89 „ „ On the other hand, vegetable foods are a cheaper source, not only of carbohydrates and fats, but also of proteids as well. Thus the approximate cost of— 1 lb. of proteid in beef is 2s. 8d. „ „ milk is 2s. 2d. „ „ bread is 1s. 6d. „ „ oatmeal is 7½d. „ „ peas is 7d. Under the ordinary conditions of town life, there is considerable danger of indulging in an excess of nitrogenous food, and vegetarians may therefore do good by showing that meat is not absolutely necessary, and can often with advantage be largely replaced by vegetable food.