The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-01-25
On Variations in Food.

No single article of diet. can f1r any great
length oI time preserve the integrity al Tie
animal frame. Including man aS wei as
domestic auimals.0
our readers may have heani ofthe exne-
rlmenl made by Napoleon Bonaparte. which
was That oi trying 10 supply the nutrifi.e
wants OF his system hy living on a copce~-
/ Uat,d preparation OF beef in Tie form .f
leliy. lie gave The article fair trial. 1et
lost flesh and his health became IMPAIRED .
which led him 10 remark. that the stomach
was sort OF mechanical and chemical
scaVenSer. and required a variety of food
ana rubbish. from which 20 sort and select
the necessary element Tor the renovation Il
The tissues.
Napoleon probably selected jelly for the
experiment. as il was known 20 abound In
in four OF The principal elements which COM
pose The animal fabric. When The ora
hamites confined themselves to coarse
bread and water. they soon dwindiel mto
walking skeletons. and thea would soon
nave SNierminate0 themselves had not they
added TWO very nutritious articles 90 their
meIsfe OH oi fare viz. butter and m.lk. the
idliei furnished their systems with o0uiNa-
Tents such as non Grahamiies obtain from
beef and mutton
The staple article or food among the poor
DO China. Is rice. and many of them are sn
l4nk and lean that ii a lighted candle could
Zoe Inserted into The chest Orablumnalcav- OF
uy OF one Of them. a very respectable and
walking lantern might Doe easily and Quick
j. constructed. all that saves such peo-
ple from death by starvation is iheN happen
10 catch a stray dog. a pig or foreign rat.
occasionally, ON which they fare sumptu-
ousiy. and bless their good luck
Experiments have been made on dogs.
10y the celebrated MaJendie; hc proved be-
Nond the shadow OF a doubt thas such anil
mails could not live more than forty days
when forced 20 Suhsist on one single article
oi diet, no matter how much nutrition Il
ml,.ht contain.
TIE Scotch peasants are great consumers
OF oatmeal, which they cook in various
wals. this article of food is nor inferior 10
wheat. in flesh making principles. and we
t.si..lt ns ti,r.,il,t i....-- -
so valuable and palatahle. ought io pro-
mo;e health aud thus sustain life. but The
very reverse is The case Tor the great oat
meal consumers. are the notorious subjects
oi Intestinal concretiOns or lc0iCnfn and in
the Edinhurg Anatomical Museum can be
seen vast and valuable collection 81 iuics-
tinal calculi. many of which proved So many
death warrants 10 confirmed oatmeal
consumers.
Dr. Carpenter. the eminent Phvsiolocist
says, No fact is better established in die
cites than that OF the imp0ssibliiy or long
sustaining life ON single aiimeniaiy prln-
ciple. Neither pure albumen, nbrne. gel
ailne, gum, sugar, starch. iat nor oil Ia
ken alone. can serve for the due nutrition
of the body. This is partly due 10 thcr fall
ing IN the supplying the waste of The tissues
and par N 10 the fact that single ailmcuia-
~ substances. long continued. excite such
"a feeling OF disgust. that the animal expert
menied on seems 10 prefer the endurance
II starvation, rather than the ingesiion Of
the same"
The same is true Of man: Many OF our
readers are aware that when person has
been long coniiaed 20 any particular article
rienced, which few persons can resist.
This teaches u, that la order 60 preserve
the health of live stock, We must vary the
diet, and not be over particular in our se-
lection OF the most nutritious articles. Tor
-. Napoleon says, the stomach requires
some " rubbish" The internal surface of
the stomach and bowels requires some stim-
uii or process OF irritation, occasionally. IN
order 10 develop and secure physiological
action; .frSf, in the stomach hy securing
-ufficien; secretion Of the gastric fluid:
which can only be accomplished by feeding
cut hay. cut straw. oats and shorts; >cc0aa-
fy, the rough particles Of food acting as
stimuli on The mucous and absorbing sur
face Of the intestineS, augments The peris-
talic action Of the same, and eNcltes absOrp-
ton Of that portion OF the food which goes
10 make chyie and biO0d: so much Tor rough
iOOd. The stomach must be made 10 labor
hard Tor a living OF il will become enemi-
nate its function will deteriOrate.
During my medical career have discov-
cred that most dyspepuc subjects or the hu-
man family date their terrible aililcliOn
from the moment they refuse 10 eat rough
food and on the principles Of ari-tocracy,
ana the usages OF society, preferred 10 drag
ont a miserable existence on dainty yiand-,
which seldom II ever, dlstend thcir stom-
acAs v healthy capacIIy.