Page:Henry Stephens Salt - A Plea for Vegetarianism and Other Essays.pdf/50



commonest obstacle to Food Reform, as indeed to every other Reform, is prejudice. The popular belief that flesh-food is the best diet for mankind is so deeply rooted in the minds of every class of Englishmen, from highest to lowest, that we cannot reasonably hope to eradicate it all at once. We can only look for the gradual conversion of the most intellectual classes, and the consequent spread of wiser dietetic views to the rest of the community. In the meantime it is well worth our while to consider one remarkable fact often urged against us by our adversaries, that among special classes or professions the one which is most strongly opposed to Vegetarianism is that of medical men. There are, of course, many notable exceptions. We, too, can appeal to illustrious names in support of our arguments ; but it is nevertheless undeniable that nearly all ordinary physicians entirely condemn the principles of Food Reform, and believe animal food