As the processes of oxidation are, as a rule, diminished in old age, especially in its advanced stage, such persons can exist on less food and need not introduce so many calories into their system; and as they also take less exercise, so they require less nourishment. Consequently, they can live better on a vegetarian diet than can the young and robust. Even then, however, it may be prejudicial to their health to live solely on vegetables, and it will be necessary to supplement this with milk and a few eggs daily. For young people such a diet, continued for a prolonged period, will present evils, and it would therefore be advisable not to continue such nourishment longer than four or six weeks, and then add meat once a day to the former diet of vegetables. This is mixed vegetarian diet, and should be interposed in the ordinary diet routine at intervals and at times of necessity. Thus when symptoms of over-nutrition may present themselves a purely vegetarian regimen may be followed, but not for longer than three or four weeks; but for those having a weak constitution and great tendency to infection, a purely vegetarian diet is not indicated, even for so short a time as a week. Judging from my own personal experience, I do not think it possible for persons who confine themselves solely to a vegetable diet to prosper and look well, especially if they exist on such insufficient food for several months, and still less so if they continue such a course for a longer time. We know that all the people of our acquaintance who existed for a long time on such a diet, presented a pale, haggard and miserable appearance, so that we could not but pity them. We, personally, tried to follow their example, but after a short experience hunger forced us to abandon the idea. Even long and careful mastication did not satisfy our craving for food, so that we had to add milk, cheese, and eggs. We admit, however, that for those of an unhealthy constitution, requiring less food, and especially for those who are in the habit of overeating,[275] there may be found some satisfaction in such a system of under-nutrition; but even they have no right to call it a healthy method of nourishment. We have found, that as a whole, women can stand more easily, and also for a longer time, a vegetarian diet. Footnote 275: As an illustration we may mention the amusing story of the rich Dutchman, who, while en route to an Austrian watering place for the treatment of his obesity, was arrested in Germany for some imprudent utterances termed “lèse majesté,” and after having been kept in prison for four months on a largely vegetarian diet came home as a slender man cured of his corpulency.