The Separation and Utilization of Nutrients from the Multiplicity of Substances Naturally Present in Foods

Abstract

Man, like every other animal, lives by consuming other organisms. In Chapter 6 it was pointed out that organisms differ from each other in the details of their chemical composition even though there are chemical similarities among all biological organisms. Thus man, like every other animal, must have mechanisms for separating substances which are usable and which he needs from the multiplicity of substances which are useless or perhaps even harmful. This is even more apparent when we reflect on the specialized functions of specific cells, tissues, and organs which make up the whole dynamic organism. In order for nerve cells, muscle cells, secretory cells, etc., to perform their specific tasks, they must depend on other cells, organs, and organ systems to maintain the proper biological (cellular) environment.