and milk but a very small quantity. In support of the use of animal
products, it may be said that we have become so fond of animal foods and
stimulating drinks, that the use of milk, butter, cheese and eggs renders
the transition to a dietary derived from the vegetable kingdom much
easier. By means of these, cooked dishes can be produced which approach
and sometimes can scarcely be distinguished from those of cooked flesh.

In the present state of society, when really good vegetarian fare is
difficult to procure away from home, eggs, cheese, and milk are a great
convenience.

Digestion.--The digestive juices contain certain unorganised ferments,
which produce chemical changes in the food. If the food is solid, it has
to be liquefied. Even if already liquid it has generally to undergo a
chemical change before being fitted for absorption into the body. The
alimentary canal is a tubular passage which is first expanded into the
mouth, and later into the stomach. As the food passes down, it is acted
upon by several digestive juices, and in the small intestine the nutritive
matter is absorbed, whilst the residue passes away.

The saliva is the first digestive juice. It is alkaline and contains a
ferment called ptyalin. This acts energetically on the cooked and
gelatinous starch, and slowly on the raw starch. Starch is quite insoluble
in water, but the first product of salivary digestion is a less complex
substance called soluble-starch. When time is allowed for the action to be
completed, the starch is converted into one of the sugars called maltose.
In infants this property of acting on starch does not appear in effective
degree until the sixth or seventh month, and starch should not be given
before that time. Only a small quantity should be provided before the
twelfth month, when it may be gradually increased. Dr. Sims Wallace has