The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-05-29
GcIett nlisfcllauD.
One Mans Meat is Another Mans
Poison.

FUlsuns
Alimentary substances are substances
which serve as nouriShment, bat great
mistake is made when it is imagined that
their nutrlive value can chiefly reside in the
amounts Of carbon, nitrogen hydrogen oxy-
gen, and salts which thy contain; it resides
in the relation which the several substances
bear to the organism they are to norrish
Music is not harmonious to the deaf nor is
color splendid to the blind The Substances
which nourshes one animal affords no nour-
ishment to another, nor will any table of
nutritvc equivalents" however precise,
convince US that substance ought to nourish
in virtue of us composition, when experience
tells us that it oes not nourish in virtue of
soma defective relation between it and the
orga nism.-That one mans meat is another
mans poison " is a proverb of strict veracity.
There are persons, even in Europe, to whom
mutton chop would be poisonous The
celebrated case Of the Able de Vllrtlicn is
rare but not unparalleled. example Of animal
food being poisonous: from his earliest years
his repugnance to it was so decided, that
neither the cntrcaties Of his parents. nor the
nenaces of his tutors. could induce him to
overcome it. After reaching the age of thir-
ty, on regimen of vegetable food, he was
over persuaded, and tried the effect of meat
soups, which led To his eating both mutton
and beef: but the change was fatal: pletho-
IA and slcepiness interviewed, and lie died of
celebral inflammation In 1911, French
soldier was forced to quit the service because
he could not overcome his violent repugrance
| and disgust toward animal food.
DIR. Prout, whose testimony will be more
convincing to English readers knew a person
on whom mutton acted as poison "lIe
could not eat mutton in any form. The Pc
culiarity was supposed to be owing to caprice,
but the mutton was repeatedly disguised and
given to him unknown; but uniformly with
the same result Of producing violent vomit.
ing and diarrlea. All from the severity
of the effects, which were in fact those of
a vruent poison, there can be little doubt
that if the use Of mutton had been persisted
in, it would soon have destroyed the life Of
the individual" DR.. Pereira, who quotes this
passage. adds -! know gentlemen who
has repeatedly had an attack of indigestion
| after the use of roast mutton" Some per.
sons it is known, cannot take coffee without
vomiting others are thrown into general
| inflammation if they eat cherries or gooseLer-
| ries. Hahn relates of himself that seven or
| eight straw berries would produce commissions
| in him. Tissot says he could never swallow
without vomiting. Many persons are unable
to eat eggs; and cakes or buildings having
eggs IN their composition, produce serious
disturbances in such persons if they are i'll
| duccd to eat the munder false assurances of no
eggs having beeti employed, they are soon
undeceived by the unmistakable effects.
Under less striking forms this difference in
| the assimilating power of difitrcn. human
beings is familiar to ms all we see our trends
freely indulging, with frinstead Of harm,
in kinds of food which, experience too pair
fully assures as we can cat only with certain
injury.
10 this fact the attention of parents and
guardians should seriously be given that by
| 1t they may learn to avoid the petty tyranv
and folly of insisting On children eating food
for which they manifest repugnance. 1t is
too common to treat the child repugnauce
as mere caprice, to condem it as " stuff and
nonsense" when he refuses to eat fat or eggs,
or certain vegetables. and Wholesome "
buildings. Now even caprice in such mat
tiers should not be altogether Sighted esbe-
cially when it takes the form of refusal; be-
cause this caprice is probably nothing less
than the expression of a particular and tenn
porary state of his organism which we should
do wrong to disregard. And whenever a
refusal is constant, it indicates positive un.
fitness in the food. Only gross ignorance Of
physiology, an ignorance unhapily too wide
ly spread can argue that because a certain
article is wholesome to many. it must ncces-
sarily be wholesome 10 all. Each individual
organism is specifically different from every
other BlQckWood