Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-11-02
ONE MANS MEAT Is ANoTHERs POISON

The substance which nouriSheS one animal
affords no nouriShment to another, nor will any
table of ''nutritive equivalents,' however pre-
else, convince us that substance ought to
nourish in virtue of its composition, when ex
perience tells that it does not nourish, in
virtue of some defective relation between it
and the organism. That s'one mans meat is
another mans poison,' is proyerb of strict
veracity. There are parsons even in Europe,
to whom mutton chop would be poisonous.
: The celebrated case of Able de Viledieu is a
rare, but not unparalleled example, of ami
NAL food being pOiS onouS from his earliest
years his repugnance to II was so decided that
neither the entreaticS of his parents nor the
menaces of his tutors could induce him to o.
yercOme it. After reaching the age of thirty.
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; plethora and sleepi-
ness intervened and he died of cerebral intiam-
nation. In lS4l French soldier was forced
to quit the service because he could not over
come his violent repdgnance and disgust of an
imal food. Dr. Prout, whose testimony will
be more convincing to English readers, knew
person on whom mutton acted as poison :
s'He could not eat mutton in any form. This
popularity was supposed to be owing to ca
price, butt the mutton was frequently disguis-
ed and given to him unknown; but uniformly
with the same result of producing violent vom
iting and diarThna. And from the severity of
the effects, which were those of yirulent poi
son, there can he little doubt that if the use of
mutton .had been persisted in it would have
soon destroyed the life OF the Individual DR..
Pereira, who quotes this passage, adds, s'l
know of q gentleman who has repeatedly had
attack OF indigestion after the use of roast
mutton.' Some persons, it is known, cannot
take coffee without vomiting; others are thrown
into a general inflammation if they eat cherries
Iahn lata NJ th.,t
seven or eight Strawberries would produce con-
vulsions in him. Tisset said he could meyer
swallow sugar without vomiting. Many per-
sons are unable to eat eggs; and cakes or pud-
dings having eggs in their composition, pro-
duce serious disturbances in such persons if
they are induced to eat them under false asSu-
RANGES of no eggs having been employed, they
are soon undeceived by unmistakable effects.
Under less striking forms this difference in the
assimilating power of different human beings
is familiar to us all !; we see our friends indul
ging with benefit instead of harm, in kinds of
food which, experience too plainly assures, we
cannot cat with only certain injury. To this
fact the attention of parents and guardians
should seriously be given, that by it they may
learn to avoid the petty tyranny and folly of
insisting on children eating food for which
they have manifest repugnance. 1t is too
common to treat the childs repugnance as
mere caprice, to condemn it as s'stutf and nom
sense" when he refuses TO eat fat or eggs, or
certain vegetables, and wholesome puddings.'
Now even caprice in such matters should not
be altogether slighted, especially when it takes
the form of refusal; because this caprice is
nothing less than the expression of particu-
lar and temporary state of his organism which
we should do wrong to disregard. And when
ever refusal is constant, it indicates posi-
tive unfitness in the food. Only gross ig-
norance of physiology-an ignorance unhap-
Il hat ln
cause certain article is wholesome to many,
it must necessarily be wholesome to all. Each
Individual organism is specifically different
from every other