The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-06-19
Cause Of Ill Health aud Mortality
in Massachusetts.

Boston Correspondence oi the Chlcyo Journal.
ave eat to live, and live to eat" So
says an old proverb. The report Of the
Massachusetts board Of health on the sub,
jsct let's little daylight into the cause
Of so much premature death in this state.
Bad diet is the cause Of half the mortal.
ity in Massachusetts. one.hsli Of the peo.
Pile OF the state support the other half.
Writing from farming town, a CORES.
pondent says: "Ifpeople die Of consump.
lion, acquired here, il is because they
sleep in little, close, impure bedrooms on
the ground floor, never bathe, and eat
little meat, except fried salt pork. The
butcher runs through the town once
week, and the baker Just as often. What
with fried salt pork and heavy brown
bread and poor butter and bad air and
closed pores, It Is only wonder that they
live as long as they do. From boot and
shoe town: "The same unvarying round
Of pies, cakes, tough meat poorly cooked,
boiled tea, muddy coffee, is repeated day
by day, Too much salt Gsh and meat are
used and too little fsrinaceous food. AS
a general rule the modes Of cooking are
semi barbarous. Frying is universal.
SOUPS are almost unknown, except among
the Canadian French. The majority Of
families in this town eat pie at every
meal. Doughnuts and 'turnoyers' fried
in lard are also in general use for sup
per or breakfast. Many families use
crackers as a subtitute for bread, buying
a barrel at time" The time devoted
to meals by one.half of the population OF
the state averages from ten TO fifteen min
uets. Persons employed in mills, shoe
shops and other manufacturing concerns
"eai on jump" These people fill their
mouths with great "wads' Of food, swal-
low them very rapidly, and soon find their
digestive apparatus out ot order. The
impaction Of food in the G,ophagus Of
these people must be embarrassing, and
still the people wonder why it is they are
troubled with dyspepsia. The teachings
Of proiessed cooks will never avail the
people Of this state. Then there is no
inventive faculty in the preparation oil
food. Its preparation Is regarded as a
species Of unmitigated drudgery, and not
"a department Of art whose cultivation
would make life happy and healthy.
Good aour isspoiled, nice beef is sacrif.
ced, and the material that Is eaten Is des.
patched with as little delay as possible.
dWhen bread, the staff Of all life in all
countries, is found to be as good in Mas
sachusetts as in Enrope," 1t will then be
a sign that the state is advancing in the
retinements Of lie. The relation oil food
TO men Is we'll illustrated in the fact that
the finest looking men, in the state are the
fishermen, and the finest children are
those Of Scandinavian parents. They are
robust, with great capacities for endur-
anee. In agricultural communities in
the state there is not as much variety in
food rs there was half century ago,
while the quality is not go good and the
cooking Of the same greatly deteriorated.
Geographically considered, Cape Cod and
Cape Ann live upon different food and
eat differently from the people OF the
mountain section Of the state. The Irish
make the best bread and eat the most
vegetables. The underied women ot Bos.
ton and the large cities constitute the
great nervous class Of the state, who
consume more boiled cheap tea than they
do Of bread. II is quite evident that the
Massachusetts stomach is badly out of
nr1ar