The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1857-08-01
miscellaneous.
From the Philadelphia Mercury.
What we Eat and Drink-Adultcra-
lions in Food and Liquors.

lions in Food and Liquors.
The indulgence of the appetite has reached
that poinC Of excess that must tend to the
propagation of diseases more terrible and
destructive than any that have in any aye of
the world ravagsd and desola.e1 the family
Of man. The rctinemcnts of cookery. and the
desire for new dishes, are working slow but
certain deterioration OF the race of man.
With most men and women excessive eating
and drinking = the cauSc0f dcStaSe Sullin.
and Swlllng is the fashion If the dav, and
the more inlulgcd il. the more morbid and
craving the appetite becomes, until tcnp"nny
nails, brickbats. old boots, are actually begin
ming to he required as plovocatvcs of gas
tronony and the pleasures of the table. Thus
there is a disease which impels the drinking
of vast quantities Of liquids, and another one
described under the name of Balilnia. in which
the patient is affected with an iaordinatc APP
petite. which nothing can sat,ate, and which
his will seems powcrlcsS to resist. An oldi-
nary leg of veal at single meal is nothing to
such cornoran's ind pendent Of half cart
load of vegetables. cooked up in surprising
cnnglnmrraron as a means for the d, irctal,!c
Utilization Of their provision depository. Men
have been known to dcvour law and even Ii.
wing cats. rats and dogs, the cnt'ail> of ami
mails, and candles to the eX cnt of fourteen
pounds a day. Cases of this kind are record
I'd in the transactions Of the Royal Soclcty.--
Fortunately for poor men (aS well as cats and
tlogS,) this is not yet Il very common disease
in America hut Judging from the big bel
lies of certain individuals who circulate cx-
tcnSivelv among the restaurants Of Third and
Dock streets we must soon expect to have
ha!ima" a very common disease in ullr
midst.
In the days of Queen Elizabeth, subsan.
tial diet was confined chiefly to persons Of
rank and wealth. The food and drink Of the
plowman was cruel and water. Tea and cot.
fee were unknown, and sugar to great en-
tent Beer was the usual beverage. The
higher classes lived mostly on salt meats-
The common people seldom ate meat in any
form. The ordinary fair Of work,nen then
would produce riot in a poorhouse now
Potatoes and tnrnips appeared abont this
time. In rlier ages people fed entirely ON
bread and meat. As late as 1850. out of
population of six millions in England and
Wales. nearly one-half were sustained by rye,
barley and oats. The same class of persons
are now consumers Of wheat The use of the
potato as the principal article of food has been
confined to a few districts
The ancient jews probably consumed
large amOunt of animal food. The houShold
of Abraham consisted of at least fifteen hun.
drcd persons. His wealth was estimated in
cattle. Job, in his days Of prosperity, had
fortcen hundred sheep, six thousand camels,
one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand
she asses. From all accounts he was pretty
extensive farmer or agriculturist His pecun-
1nry resources at least, were very considerable.
The Latin word pecunia means cattle as well
as money. ard is probably derived from the
Latin word pecus, sheep.
We read in ancicn, history of rich patriarch.
al farmers and shepherds feeding armies
passing from one country to another. We
read in English history Of the great Earl of
Warwick entertaining at his different man
ors. thirty thousand people every day. The
feudal barons had large halls, and whole sheep
and oxen were roasted daily to feed their
household
The English people, from their fondness of
''roast beef" have gotten the soubriquet of
"John Bull" as a nation. What with the
growing scarcity of bovine food, or its present
dear price. butchcring will soon cease to be
followed as a trade or profession, unless men
turn horse and jackass butchers. Horse meat
is already regarded as an exquisite deliclcJ in
Paris IN great variety of ways. As soup
it is declared more excellent in flavor that beef
broth; when roasted 1t is extremely rich in
gravy, and emlts all aroma not unlike that
belonging to good venison. In short. the
cpicurian philosophers and Swans of Paris
unanimously pronounce horse-fiesh most de-
srable human food. Bullfrngs have long been
q great dish among Frenchmen.
In China rats and mice, and all sorts Of
vermin and insects, are regarded as whole.
some food. Even Dutch sausagcs, made out
of the flesh of dogs, are considered first-rate
relish by many.
What with the scarcity of beef cattle, and
hogs..dying off so rapidly with cholera, we
will soon be compelled to look to other 10.
sources for supply Of animal food. Per-
haps every animal is fit to be eaten, if proper
" killed in its blood, and cooked and served
up to the table in fresh state. If we could
only know what we arc to eat, it would be
well enough; but to give us, "adulterated
STUFF is certainly the acme Of wckedness
and rascal,ty. fear that great many
of our fellow citizens will be apt to ''smell
boiling sulphur" one Of these days, foI such
abominable practices. 1t is almost IMPOSE
BILE to purchase pure article of any thing
in the market. Tea. coffee, sugar, musturd,
pepper, sauces every thing is adulterated.
all our wines, brandies, and liquors, arc