The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-12
HEALTH NOTES.
From the Herald of HEALTH


FRUITS.
Are fruits anti-scorbutics
Yes, they are so considered. The term
tanti-scorbutc drinks indicates in what
high estimation fruits have always been
held as health-preserving agents. And now
that more accurate analyses, and better
understanding of the nature and values of
food, show them also to be highly nutri-
tious, it is evident that they should be used
as food. Fruits, from false idea of their
nature, have been too frequently used as
drinks, and taken at improper,.tmes. They
have in consequence received bad name,
and apprehensive mothers warn their chill
dren against fruit visions of diarrhea,
cholera, etc., being held up as bogies to
enforce obedience. But let parents give
extract Of beef, or any other of the sup.
posed concentrated nutritious flesh floods,
and watch the result. They will not have
long to wait before the same stomach all
ments begin to show themselves, and that
in forms more dangerous than ever followed
the use OF ripe fruit at equally unseasona-
BILE periods. Fruit should be used as part
of meal--with children and healthy adults
Just before breakfast and dinner are the
best times. Invalids will find it safer,
especially with juicy fruit, to take it about
the middle of the meal, other dishes pre-
ceding and succeeding it. This refers
chiefly to uncooked fruit. When cooked
and served hot, fruit may be taken ut any
period of the meal. Invalds will also
find the more acid fruits less digestible, and
especially so when preceded in the same
meal by potatoes. Fruits, especially when
not quite Iipe, are generally rendered more
digestble by cooking. Slowing is the
common and good method; but roasting
is preferable. This may be done in an
oven or before an open fire. Apples
tightly wrapped in paper are easily roasted
before the fire. Done in this manner,
they will be found to require little or no
sugar---a decided advantage with invalids.
HARVEY.
John Aubrey, who was at Harvey's
funeral, and 'hept to carry him into the
vault, = writes: II have heard him
Harvey say that after his booke of the
circulation Of the blood come out he fell
nightly in his practice, and twas believed
by the vulgar that he was crack-braned
and all the physicians were against his
opinion, and enjoyed him. All his profess
sion would allow him to be an excellent
anatomist, but never heard of any that adj
mired his therapeutique way. knew seye-
raj practitioners in this town (London) that
would not have given 3D.. for one of his
bills (prescriptions). and that man could
hardly tell by one of his bills what he did
aim at"
MENTAL DISTRESS.
How does long continued mental distress
affect the health?
Under this title, DR.. Cornett gives two
very interesting cases, in which entire loss
of hair, with change of voice, resulted
from depressing emotions.
The first case was that of healthy
gardner, forty-five years of age, who after
undergoing considerable mental disquiet-
ude, through fear of impending poverty
for several weeks, found his hair suddenly
growing white, and at the same time falling
out. In few days his head became
almost completely bald, the few hairs
which remained, in the form of circle
around the temples and occiput, being
straight, fine, sparsely scattered, and white
white as snow. His hair had pre-
viously been curly, abundant, and
quite black. His beard rapidly be-
became affected in similar manner, and
later the hair had entirely disappeared
from all parts of the body. At the same
time his voice, which before had been
strong and full, became quite feeble and
low in tone, and his whole appearance
that of o man OF seyenty-iiye. His health,
however, was perfectly good.
Five years later his condition was nearly
the same. He was quite melancholy, and
but few hairs of downy nature re-
manned on his body. His voice was still
feeble.
The other case was that Of gentleman
filty-six years Of age, in political life and
much harassed by public and domestic
anxieties. One morning on awakening he
found large quantity of hair in his night
cap, and running his hand through
that which remained on his head it came
out by handfuls. Within very
short time he had lost not only all the hair
on his scalp, but also that on his chin, and
finally on all parts of the body. After six
years this gentleman's condition remained
the same. His skin had returned to the
smoothness of infancy; one would never
believe it had been otherwise. His general
health remained good but, like the pre-
yious case, his voice was nearly lost at first,
and even after several years was still quite
feeble.
44r+ A YOUNG MOTHER.
Ar. Fitzpatrick, NJ. D., Nayasota,
Texas, was recently informed that
copper-colored negro girl, not twelve years
old, OF this (Gnmes) county, gave birth,
in the first week of last August, to fully