The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-06-15
4 CHEMIST on CANDY Ind SUGAR.

Iarly to diseased teeth, says the Boston
Journal of Chemistry, that it would seem
presumption to add even a word. But
supposing the question cannot be settled
at once, there are some facts about can
dy, or sugar rather, which have not
seen mentioned. As q food it is failure.
The chemist tells that cane sugar con-
tains three elements. The human body
has some fourteen elements. How can
three elements make fourteen? Dogs fed
ON sugar died in forty days. Their eyes
liberated and came out. Dogs fed on
nothing lived just as long. The system
has a natural loathing for food containing
nothing but sugar. We pass then to the
occasional use of sugar. Does it affect
the condition of the organs of the body?
Several years ago DR.. s. Weir Mitchell,
of Philadelphia, proved that he could
produce cataract of both eyes in half an
hour by simply injecting a teaspOonful
of saturated solution of sugar between
the skin of frog or guinea pig. DR.. B.
w. Richardson, OfLOndon, has confirmed
this, and these results are received by
the medical profession as satisfactory.
Now, if teaspOOnful of sugar solution
will make frog or guinea pig totally
blind in half an hour, can sugar be re-
garded as an innocent substance for
young and growing persons, especially
when they diet so largely upon white
-four, which is chiefly composed of starch,
whose chemical formula is identical with
that of sugar? According to DR.. G. R.
Agnew, of New York, out of one thou
sand children under eighteen years of
age in large school in his vicinity, sew
en- hundred and three were found with
defective organs of vision when examined
with the Opthslmoscope. Have we
right to infer that sugar and starch diet
have anything to do with this large per-
centage Of deficient eyes9 The expert
ments quoted show that sugar does act
promptly, quickly and terribly upon the
substance of the crystalline lens of lower
animals. Can we deny the probability
fits action upon the eyes of human be-
ings? Marx, we do not say it does thus
act. We simply raise the question. We
wish the state board of health would
have it investigated, as it is a matter
germane to their invaluable department
of labor.
Now for candy and diseased teeth.
Lime and phosphorus form the Chiefmin-
eral ingredients Of teeth. The organic
matter q. e. that like sugar. amounts
roughly to about twenty per cent. of the
whole tooth. The mineral matter and
water make the remaining eighty per
cent. In other words, sugar gives the
teeth, under themOst favorable cOnstruc-
tion, twenty per cent. of its food only,
when it is used as an aliment. But SUI
gar can not be used as an exclusive ali
ment, as death would ensue. Used Oc-
Casi0aally when the other food has its
normal amount Of mineral ingredients,
candy, when pure, probably does not
harm the teeth. But used frequently
in connection with -four diet, there is no
doubt that 1t viii promote the decay Of
teeth. When organized substances are
fed, they must receive all the elements
that enter into thsir composition. Fail
ing to receive these their vitality il Inn
paired and decay results. Teeth fed with
candy do not receive any mineral ele-
ments. No phosphorus and no lime are
found in candy, but they constitute the
main part Of teeth. Hence we see that
candy and teeth arc not interchangeable
things and that candy eaters must not be
surprised If their teeth taiL
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