Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-09-14
NutritiOn.

THE manner Of properly selecting and
preparing food, and its judicious variation,
is one that does not receive the at ention
that it ought. Professor Blot, who is adj
Emitted to be authority on this subject,
says that it is by practical experience
that we learn what is proper for us, and
not by chemical analys sis" How can it be
otherwise, when the same articles which
are relished and easily digestcd by some
persons, are distasteful and indigestible in
the case Of others? AS no satisfactory
reason can be assigned for this, it must be
attributed to the peculiar idiosyncracy of
the individual, and it is only experience
that can teach each one what particular
article of food agrees with HIM, and what
does not. 1t often happens that a certain
article Of food is highly relished and en-
joyed, and yet is indigestible by the one
who is thus fond Of it, In this case taste
will not do TO be relied on, and experience
will have to admonish when inclination
prompts to Indulgence.
The great chemish and Psychologist, Ma
gcnuie, made some interesting experlmt nts
on the effects Of certain kinds of food.
He fed geese On gum only, and they died
on the sixteenth day; he ted some on
starch only, and they died on the twenty.
i
OF eggs only, and they died on the f',rty.
sisth day, he fed Others on the three kinds
; mixed together, end they tattened instead
ul dyihg. Here is a proof of The nt ces,
si;y OF not only varying but mixing food
as much as possible, III order to supply the
waste and necessities of every part OF the
system.
In The first instance, gum afforded a
lOurishmcnt similar to starch and sugar,
serving to sustain animal heat but not +"
restore the waste of the tissues, on aCcOu, t
of the absence OF nitrogen. In the second
Instance, starch served to Keep up the ami.
! NAL heat, and being more highly organized
tbaa gum, enabled the birds to maintail
] existel ce few days longer. The want
! OF nitrogen, however, proved fatal, as in
; the case Of gum food. Those fed onwhitc
Of eggs alone mad the nitrogen afforded by
the alhumen, but eventually died from
want Of supply of animal heat capable
of being yielded by the starch. Those II q
ON the three kinds Of food NAKED not only
survived, but thIovc, b cause all the walls
OF the system were supplied.
AS before stated, the preparation and
i cooking Of food should receive its proper
share OF attention, if the greatest amour,
itf benz fit is to be derived from its intro
duction in the system. Blot the professor
of tits art, says that green vegetables
such as cabb &c, spinach, etc, should bt
put in boiling water, but dry vegetables
as beans and peas, should be put in colo
water to cook, after having been previously
soaked in lukewarm water. In the case
potatoes, the eyes or germs are to lie Gu
out, and the skin rubbed or scraped Oft
then steamed or roasted. He thinks tina
fish, although only continuing twenty pc
cent Of nutritious matter, ought to be par
taken of at lcast twice a week, as it con
tai, more phosphorus than any o1he
food, and serves to supply the vase "
that subs lance in the system, and p'r1icl
larly in the brain He says that the trajl
of an idiot contains about per cent. e
phosphoric matt.r; ti.at If y sous Z
sound int' llcct, q per ccit, Will: hat "
maniac contains 81 Z per cent. II TINS N
80, it would seem ,|'at in maniac tn
brain anpropriatcs an undue proportion o
phospholic matter from the rest ct tl':' aNs
TEN, whereby irs f,nc'i rs are m!lerall,
misunderstanding 4imc,scun.