South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-09-08
Nutrition.

THE manner of properly selecting and
preparing food, and its iudicious variation,
is one that does not receive the attention
that it ought. Professor Blot, who is adj
mitted 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 analysis" How can it be
otherwise, when the same articles which
are relished and easily digested 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
gendie, made some interesting experiments
on the effects of certain kinds of food.
He fed geese on gum only, and they died
on the sixteenth day; he fed some on
starch only, and they died on the twenty
fourth day he fed others on boiled white
of eggs only, and they died on the forty
sisth day, he fed others on the three kinds
mixed together, and they fattened instead
of dying. Here is a proof of the neces-
sity of not only varying but mixing food
as much as possible, in order to supply the
waste and necessities of every part of the
system.
In the first instance, gum afforded a
nourishment similar to starch and sugar,
serving 10 sustain animal heat, but not to
restore the waste of the tissues, on account
of b absence OF nitrogen. In the second
instance, starch served to keep up the ami
mai heat, and being more highly organized
than gum, enabled the birds to maintain
existence g few days longer. The want
of nitrogen, however, proved fatal, as in
the case of gum food. Those fed onwhite
of eggs alone had the nitrogen afforded by
the albumen, but eventually died from
want of a supply of animal heat capable
of being yielded by the starch. Thosefed
on the three kinds of food mixed not only
survived, but throve, because all the wants
of the system were supplied.
As before stated, the preparation and
cooking of food should receive its proper
share of attention, if the greatest amount
of benefit is to be derived from its intro
duction in the system. Blot, the professor
of this art, says that green vegetables,
such as cabbage, spinach, etc, should be
put in boiling water, but dry vegetables,
as beans and peas, should be put in cold
water to cook, after having been previously
soaked in lukewarm water. In the case of
potatoes, the eyes or germs are to be cut
out, and the skin rubbed or scraped off,
then steamed or roasted. He thinks that
fish, although only containing twenty per
cent. of nutritious matter, ought to be par
taken of at least twice a week, as it con
tains more phosphorus than any other
food, and serves to supply the waste of
that substance in the system, and particu-
larly in the brain. He says that the brain
of an idiot contains about 1 per cent of
phosphoric matter; that of persons of
sound intellect, 215 per cent, while that of
a maniac contains 80 per cent. If this be
so, it would seem that in a maniac the
brain appropriates an undue proportion of
phosphoric matter from the rest of the sys
TEN, whereby its functions are materially
impaired--Scientyfc american.