number be ill,” says Herodotus[1] “they take the sick person, and, if he be a man, the men of his acquaintance proceed to put him to death. because, they say, his flesh would be spoilt for them if he pined and wasted away with sickness. The man protests he is not ill in the least ; but his friends will not accept his denial. In spite of all he can say, they kill him and feast themselves on his body.”
It is indisputable that there have been, and indeed are, savage tribes who deliberately prefer human flesh to other food ; and it should not escape our notice that these people, in defence of their dietetic peculiarities might use, and probably have used, arguments similar to those now-a-days brought forward by flesh-eaters in justification of their system of diet—“It has always been so;” “it is the regular rule of our society ;” “ our medical men approve of it ;” “we are strong and healthy on this diet ;” “it is evidently the law of Nature ;” “it is much kinder to the victims than to leave them to die of a lingering old age ;” “the world would be over-run with old and sick people if we did not
- ↑ Book III., chapter 99. Rawlinscon's Translation.
