ver, as I went on, were settled, in the affirmative. I believed--and
still believe--that the public mind, in this country, is prepared for
the free discussion of all topics--provided they are discussed
candidly--which have a manifest bearing on the well-being of man; and I
have governed myself accordingly.

An apology may be necessary for retaining, unexplained, a few medical
terms. But I did not feel at liberty to change them, in the
correspondence of Dr. North, for more popular language; and, having
retained them thus far, it did not seem desirable to explain them
elsewhere. Nor was I willing to deface the pages of the work with
explanatory notes. The fact is, the technical terms alluded to, are,
after all, very few in number, and may be generally understood by the
connection in which they appear.

THE AUTHOR.
WEST NEWTON Mass.

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE SECOND EDITION.

The great question in regard to diet, viz., whether any food of the
animal kind is absolutely necessary to the most full and perfect
development of man's whole nature, being fairly up, both in Europe and
America, and there being no practical, matter-of-fact volume on the
subject, of moderate size, in the market, numerous friends have been for
some time urging me to get up a new and revised edition of a work which,
though imperfect, has been useful to many, while it has been for some
time out of print. Such an edition I have at length found time to
prepare--to which I have added, in various ways, especially in the form
of new facts, nearly fifty pages of new and original matter.

WEST NEWTON, Mass., 1849.

CONTENTS
Page

CHAPTER I.

ORIGIN OF THIS WORK.

Experience of the Author, and his Studies.--Pamphlet in
1832.--Prize-Question of the Boylston Medical
Committee.--Collection of Materials for an Essay.--Dr.
North.--His Letter and Questions.--Results, 13-20

CHAPTER II.

LETTERS TO DR. NORTH.

Letter of Dr. Parmly.--Dr. W. A. Alcott.--Dr. D. S.
Wright.--Dr. H. N. Preston.--Dr. H. A. Barrows.--Dr. Caleb
Bannister.--Dr. Lyman Tenny.--Dr. J. M. B. Harden.--Joseph
Ricketson, Esq.--Joseph Congdon, Esq.--George W. Baker,
Esq.--John Howland, Jr., Esq.--Dr. Wm. H. Webster.--Josiah
Bennet, Esq.--Wm. Vincent, Esq.--Dr. George H. Perry.--Dr. L.
W. Sherman,