Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-10-04
.G1 Il8If.i4q3.I IIiLG
80.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Use Of Fruits.

proper use of fruits greatly contributes to the
preservation Iof health. Ripe fruit extingllishes
thirst, moderates heat, and dates the body. Acids,
particularly the native vegetable ones moderately
used in diet greatfu 10 the stomach, assist the
appetite, promote disgestion, cool the body, and
correct tendency to putrfaction; but the too free
use of them may disorder the stomach and bowels.
so may too free use of anything else. MI mi
Fruits contain sugar, vegetable acid, and mucil-
age; and although their skins contain an asringent,
it is not enough to render them unwholesome On
the contrary, the asringency ofth skin stimulates
the stomach, causes it to contract strongly, and thus
prevents the fruit becoming acid and fatulent.-
The sugar, acid and mucilage ferment, and become
converted into blood. AS sugar affords more nour-
ishment than any other substance SO such fruits as
are sweetest the emostwholesome, as figs, peach
es grapes apples &c sSgai actually mots nu
ted it being so very soluble, it passes fIom=the
stomach before any change can take place in il, but
entangled in the cells ofruit sugar is retained lon
ger in the stomach, SO US to yield some nourish-
ment Sugar also is not apt to ierment in the
stomach alone, but mixed with the mueilage of
fruits fermentation readily takes place. Besides,
the acids Of fruits help to correct the putrescency
of animal food. liInL i.!gud ,irHl " lhf
The more diluted sugar is, the more apt it is to
ferment. Hence watery or mucilaginous fruits,
with sugar, as currents, whorteberrles, cherries,
&c., afford but little nourlshment, but then they
tend more to correct putrescency' Sucn as con-
tain more sugar and less water and muciage, are
er to correct putrescency; but then they are more
nutritive than such as contain more mucilage and
water, and less sugar. They afford so much nouf-
ishment, that in many countries they are used as
solid food; thus nuts, figs dates, &C., are eaten as
common food in Portugal. n ,g.,I g..i.j i.l -,
By eyaporating. the water from fruits, by drying
them, we lessen their disposition to ferment con-
sequently less fatulent and more nudtve, II eat
ed moderately. The fermentation oil some fruits
in the stomach have, by letting loose the air, some
t,rnap Iic laf
can always be avoided by adding sugar OF spices TO
them. However those who find these kinds OF fruit
disagree with them, should refrain from their use
Fruits containing great quantty oil natHe Vege-
table acid, such oranges, and the like, afford SO
little nourishment, that they should be seldom useu
except to correct the bad properties of other food
confinement, or causes Of scuryy generally. tfY,
Sour fruits eaten in Autumn, have been accused
of bringing on purgings, .d!arrheea, put Without
good reason. True, spur fruits will act as purga,
tives, but this must be owing to the predlsposed
state of the body; for it is observable that fruit has
no such effect where the body IS in equilibrium as
to health. In hot summers, when fruit is plenty,
dysenteries is apt to be general but this is owing
to the heat of the weather; for persons will be So
afflicted who eat little or no fruit I is' '2h
A medical authority has recently stated that ii
is capable of chemical demonstration that fruits
have more just title to the term " stan OF Lie
than grains for that granverous food leaves in the
body large calcareous deposit, which ossifeS the
heart ewes, ears, liver, lungs, aud otheI organs,
and in time produces discnpitude and death, while
fruits render men plump, feshy, active and elastic.
While he notes the fact that nations which use
much fruit are in general long.livcd and healthy,
other things being considered, he also infers thai
the longevity of the elephant and the monkey tlbc
is owing to their subsistence upon fruits flowers,
| herbs, and the tender shoots of trees H' ~"
We shall not decide on the above theory, nor OH
the one Of vegetable diet alone, for we ngree with
Lord Bacon that some kinds OF vegetable food is
very bad. He says that cucumbers and melons are
cold and bad, and that French physician, who
had great practice from such persons as ate much
Of them, built country seat, and wrote over II.
"CoM Cue,mbers Lult this Hail. aud crude Musk-
melons furnished it.'-NcU York Farmer anu Me
ehanic, III