Cornaro, Cheyne, and others, have, most absurdly, attempted to determine a standard quantity of food for all mankind, and have fixed it at the lowest possible limit. The very attempt, however, is inconsistent with the laws of the animal economy; since the supply required must necessarily vary not only according to the age, sex, and constitution of the individual, but according to the mode of life and the circumstances by which he is surrounded: and it would be, therefore, not less injurious than unnatural for any one to adhere to the same invariable proportion. _Mixtures_ of different kinds of food are strongly condemned by almost all writers on dietetics, as injurious to digestion. They seem to me, however, to produce mischief much more by the _inducement to excess in quantity_ which variety affords, than by the mere mixture of different substances. In a healthy stomach, indigestion is rarely if ever induced by eating several kinds of food at one meal, provided the total amount consumed be not beyond the wants of the system, and do not exceed the due proportion to the quantity of gastric juice which the stomach is able to provide. When only one dish is partaken of, there is less temptation to exceed in quantity than where several are tried. The first intimations of satisfied appetite are unquestionably the best warning we can have when to stop eating. If we do not go beyond this point, the subsequent sensations are pleasurable and invigorating, and, after a brief interval, we are perfectly disposed to return to active exertion. But, if we eat more than enough, fulness and oppression are almost immediately experienced, and a considerable time must elapse before either mind or body can effectually resume its activity.