Increased consumption of proteid food may be coincident with thrift and commercial success, but there is no justification for the belief that these are the result of changed dietary conditions. The dietary of our New England forefathers was, according to all accounts, exceedingly limited as compared with that of to-day, but it is doubtful if the present generation is any better developed, physically or mentally, than the stalwart and vigorous people who opened up this country to civilization. To-day, as a nation, we have greater wealth, and our commercial prosperity has become phenomenal; but would any one think for a moment that these characteristics are attributable to the large consumption of proteid food so common to this generation of the American people? No, increased wealth simply paves the way for greater freedom in the choice of food; increased commercial success and business prosperity throw open avenues which formerly were closed; greater variety of animal foods, and vegetable foods as well, rich in proteid, are made easily accessible, and appeal to eye and palate on all sides; appetite and craving for food are abnormally stimulated, and dietetic habits and customs change accordingly. In the words of another, “the one thing that primitive, barbarous, and civilized man alike long for is an abundance of the ‘flesh-pots of Egypt.’ The very first use the latter makes of his increased power and financial resources is to buy new, rare, and expensive kinds of meat.” With these facts before us, it is difficult to accept the assumption that dietetic customs afford any indication of the food requirements of the body. To the physiologist such a view does not appeal, since there is a lack of any scientific evidence that carries conviction.