The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-01-23
WHEAT SHALL WE DRINK ,

interesting people. Adpocafe
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WHAT SHALL WE DRINK i?
The following extracts are from th,
October numder Of HalTs Journal o.
Health, which is considered good authori
ty on all subjects relating to the preser.
yation Of health:
COLD WATER.
Cold water, swallowed during the FRO.
gress Of digestion, Instantly arrests 1t, aud
the process is not resumed, until the wa.
ter has been there long enough to be
warmed from thcatempcrature at which il
was drank, TO that Of the stomach OF
from some forty degrees, to hundred
TO accomplish this, the heat must be alb
stracted from the general system, chilling
it. Strong. robust persons may not feel
this, but if a man in feeble health drink
cold water at meal. at all largely, he
rises from the table chilly. and 5000 has
fever, while the stomach being kept that
much longer at work in digesting the food,
loses its sigor, the digestion is imperfect,
aud the food becomes impure, thus lying
at the foundation of disease. The iseYit-
able inference from these facts is, that
COLD WATER Is INJURIOUS TO HEALTH,
il taken at meals. Injurious TO the most
robust, If taken largely, and to persons in
feeble health. if taken at all, beyond a
few swallows at meal.
/ therefore set il down, as n clearly es.
tablished fact, that glass or more Of cold
water, drank habitually at meals. or soon
after, is a pernicious practice, evea TO the
most healthy.
Injury is done in another manner j;
water, or any other fluid, dilutes the gas
trio juice, and thus weakens its power TO
dissolve the food. The amount Of gastric
juice is not lessened, but its power is di.
minished By its dilution. The finger will
be scalded by dipping it into vessel Of
boiling water but if an equal amount Of
cold water is added. it may be thurs; in
with impunity, although there is az much
heat in the mass as before; but it is more
diffuscd.
Any kind of fluid taken largely at
meal, or soon after, is positively injurious
to health.
A standing item of advice to my pa.
tients is-Take but half a glass of water
at single meal. or single cup Of weak
coffee or tea, never incTeaaeing the
strength or quantity. and drink nothing
sv;th;n a., bav,r aTtor eating
If cold drinks are injurious at meals,
cold food is for the same reason also inju.
rious thus it is, that some of the most
terrible forms Of disease are brought on
by persistence in eating cold food, exclu-
siyely, especially in winter time.
WARM DRINKS.
If cold fluids are injurious at meal, We
naturally conclude that warm fluids, in
moderation, are beneficial, and rightly so.
It then follows, that, if We drink any
thing at meals, it should be frst warmed.
We may safely admit, that the univer-
sal custom Of n country is founded on CON-
mon sense, common sense being the
teachings of experience. Common con-
sent, and the experience of the civilized
world is, that cup of good hot coffee for
breakfast, and cup of good hot tea for
supper is "wholesome." IF person is
prciudiced against "storc tea and coffee,"
then any of our common garden herbs
may be substituted, as balm, sage, sasa-
fras, aud the like it is the warmth that
comes first in Importance, and there must
be the taste Of something palatable in it.
or the stomach will loath it. l am well
aware that some persons consider tea and
coffee poisonous, as did an enthusiastic
young ''theologica" at New Brunswick,
a few years ago, and demonstrated it, as
he thought, TO the old Domino, then in
his eighty-six year,th aud still an efficient
laborer in tho vineyard. at may be
poison, as you say" replied tho old vet
eran, as the sly mischief twinlled out
of the corner of his eye, shut it must be
very slow poison, for ] have taken it reg
ularly night and morning for these eighty
years, and an, as you sec, not dead yet"
The same has been said of Doctor john
son.
But how comes it that so many sensible
people believe that tea aud coffee are poi
sonousY just as they have come to the
adoption Of any other fallacy. Somebody
who had nothing else to do, imagined it,
then hunted up facts and parts of facts to
prove it; and what with adding a little to
one fact, and suppressing from another, q
really plausible case was made out, to
every reader or hearer, who had rather
admit statement, than take the trouble
thoroughly to sift its truth, and there are
many such.
/. COFFEE A sUsTENANT.
aOnce upon atime, not very long ago,
q party Of men left Salt Lake City for ST..
Louis, with the United States mail, to be
delivered at Independence or q ST. Joe. :"
It was winter They found the prairies
covered with snow, and fnIlly their ''aai-
mdls' perished with hunger; at this
stage the six men found themselves utter.
ly destitute of food the game had taken
to the woods, there were no rivers, the