The structural provisions of the living organism are not built
on the principle of economy. On the contrary, the superabundance
of tissues and mechanisms indicates clearly that safety is the
goal of the animal organism. We may safely state that the living
animal organism is provided in its structures with factors of
safety at least as abundantly as any human-made machine.
The moral drawn from these facts is that to govern the supply
of tissue and energy by means of food, nature indicates for
us the same principle of affluence which controls the entire
construction of the animal for the safety of its life and the
perpetuation of its species. In other words, we should eat
not just enough to preserve life, but a good deal more. In
such cases safety is more important than economy.--S. J.
MELTZER, _Science_.
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