The Natural Food of Man: Being an attempt to prove from comparative anatomy, physiology, chemistry and hygiene, that the original, best and natural diet of man is fruit and nuts — John Shaqi
The Natural Food of Man: Being an attempt to prove from comparative anatomy, physiology, chemistry and hygiene, that the original, best and natural diet of man is fruit and nutsCarrington, Hereward
Science
The Natural Food of Man: Being an attempt to prove from comparative anatomy, physiology, chemistry and hygiene, that the original, best and natural diet of man is fruit and nuts
Carrington, Hereward
Food; Vegetarianism
Perhaps the most important factor of all, in considering this question
of man’s natural diet, is the anatomical argument—the argument, that
is, which says that man must or should naturally eat certain foods,
for the reason that he belongs to the class or _genus_ of animals
which lives upon that class of foods—and that, consequently, he
should live upon them also. Comparative anatomy affords us one of
the most tangible and at the same time one of the most forceful and
convincing arguments that can be furnished in favour of man’s natural
diet (whatever that may prove to be)—for the reason that its _facts_
are so well-attested that they cannot be gainsaid by anyone who is in
possession of them; and only the _inferences drawn from these facts_
can be disputed—which is a question that will be considered later. As
before stated, this line of argument is in many ways the most important
with which we shall have to deal; it will tend either to condemn or
to confirm my argument most strongly. From a scientific standpoint,
the study of this subject is founded upon the fact that the diet of
any animal, in its natural state, is always found to agree both with
its anatomical structure and with its several digestive processes and
general bodily functions. So clearly is this fact recognised, indeed,
by comparative anatomists and scientists generally, that animals have
been divided, according to their dietetic habits, into four great
classes—herbivorous, frugivorous, carnivorous and omnivorous. There are
various sub-and minor-divisions that can be and in fact are made—such
as the gramnivora, or grain-eaters; the rodentia, or gnawers; the
ruminants, or cud-chewers; and the edentata or creatures without teeth.
These subdivisions need not concern us here, however; and I shall not
discuss their anatomical structure or food-habits at any length. Their
names sufficiently classify them—in a work of this nature, which deals
with _foods_, and is not a natural history. For practical purposes,
the gramnivora may be included in the class of frugivora—since most
frugivorous animals eat grains to some extent. This understood, we can
proceed to a consideration of the facts; and we shall see to which of
these classes man belongs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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