The Portland daily press., 1873-11-20

At the opening session of the American
Public Health Association in New York DR.
Edward Jarvis of Ward 1e Boston, read an
interesting paper on ''The Power of the
Housekeeper," Of which the following is al
abstract:
ssHe said that we were undergoing in OF
frame constant change. New flesh and
blood were supplied by food, obtained in
the market or the kitchen. The processes of
converting dead food into living flesh
were the most delicate and exact, and their
results were the most important that could
occupy the attention of man. The co, ver-
zion of dead meats and bread into living or
ganism, brain aud muscle, and the endow-
ment OF liseless, CotiOnless particles with
the power of motion aud sensation and in
tellisence and thought must require an
adaptation beyond the scope of chemistry and
all the mechanics known to MAJ. In this
work nature did her part. She pr vided the
circulatory apparatus and the means for the
conversion OF food into llood and flesh.
What was done by nature was well doue,
and the rest-the selection of the food and
its prepa' alton for the table-was left Tor
ourselves to do. And even here natu:e had
given lis power ard observation to know
what she wanted, and to search out the ways
to meet it. We might well SUI pose that in
this partnership of nature and man in the
.ncurishment of the body and in which she
did her work with such precision, our part
of the work, the cooking part, was not mat
ter of Indifference, nor would the results be
all the same, no matter how we provided and
prepared our food. In this matter we had
only one object, and that was to provide the
food which could he converted into living
flesh which should be endowed with the larc-
est quantity of vital force, the best muscle
for action, the best nerves Of sensation, and
the best brain, and thought, and intelligence.
In this part of the work assigned to US there
was ouly one condition, and that was to pre-
pare such food and make such mixtures in
the kitchen, and have them cooked in such a
gay that they could most certainly and most
easily be converted into blood, and ultimately
into living flesh; nd in proportion as fhs
condition was fulfilled, life was meted out to |
those who eat. Here then came in the re-
sponsibity Of the purveyor who provided the |
materials that were TO be eaten, and to the |
cock who prepared them. Animal life was
strong or weak, comfortable or painful, active |
or sluggish, enduring or shortened, according |
as it was supplied with proper food and nour- |
ishment
A wise farmer once said in his hearing: |
'YOu cannot get more out of COW than you |
can put into her. Every farmer knew that |
u0 So"u nOe go oeioHSIu duu ulusCic duu
good work from his oxen and his horses un-
less he gave them digestble, nutritious and
food. Human life was, in this
respect, subject to the same conditions as low
er animal lie, and even more. Man had a
higher endowment and more acute sensi-
bility, and therefore he was more affected by
his food. The whole measure of his life de-
pended very materially upon the state of his
digestion and the manner in which his house
keeper provided for and bis cook fed him. As
a general rule the stomach was sound, aud
sufficiently strong to fulfill its appointed pur-
poses. 1t could easily digest and convert into
blood all the prepared material thai was nee |
rssarv for the support of the animal body. pro,
vided that it was judiciously sele,ted ana
properly cooked, but it the food in its quailty
or quantity and The manner of its preparation