The Cecil Whig., 1880-05-29
LOSS OF APPETITE.

! iNhtt ttt bilS 'ilCSi VI lCNtlS. DttI
usually it is a more chronic complaint.
Nothing Is commoner than to hear people
say that they "have no appetite, they
do dot care for anythng,' or that they
''hate the sight of food 1t is often
enough associated with condition of
debility and general inaptitude for work.
1t is by no means uncommon in those
who are worried and anxious, and find it
difficult to make both ends meet Pco-
| pie who devote too much attention to the
brandy bottle generally find meals rath-
er a trouble than otherwise; breakfast,
especially, is a difficulty. These individ-
uals are very dainty and fanciful, and
when at home grumble at everything that
is set before them. They are very fond
of abusing the cook for what is in reali-
| ty the morbid condition of their own di-
gestive organs. Tobacco smokers, or at
tity, are seldom great performers with
the knife and fork. Tobacco and opium
and alcohol seem all to have the pow er
of deadening the: appetite. People who
take little or no outdoor exercise gener-
ally complain that they do not eat well,
and no wonder. If a man wants Il good
other. Some one may give him his dim
ner, but if he is to enjoy it he will have
| to bring his own sauce in the shape of an
appetite.
Irregularity of meals is another COM
mon cause of loss of appetite. The
stomach appreciates regularity, and likes
| to have its want attended to at the proper
time. 1t is curious how in a well-regu.
lated body the desire for food is expert
enced day by day at exactly the same
hour. We all know how drcadfully bad
tempered many people get if their din
ner is only five minutes late. 1t is all
very well to say that they are stupid. and
should not be put out about tritles. but
it must be remembered that it is no tritie
to them. and that even a slight delay
|
of bodily discomfort. The stomach has
been accustomed to receive supplies at
certain regular intervals, and, if it fails
to receive them, it objects most emphat-
ically. Nothing is more likely to spoil
the appetite than eating or drinking be-
| tween meals. You hear a man complain
ing that he cannot eat his dinner, and
you find on inquiry that about an hour
before he had three or four dozen oysters
and some bread and butter and pint of
stout. lust to pull him together" 1t
may be thought that this is an eYagger-
alton, but it is not. We have seen it,
and we wish we had not, for nothing can
be more contemplate than man who
makes deity of his stomach. We should
eat to live, and not live to eat. For peo-
| pie who dine in the middle of the day.
lunch is great mistake. Many people
seem to think it great hardship to go
without food from $50 \. NJ. to p NJ.
| They make good breakfast directly
they get up: ham and eggs and all the
etceteras: and then at 1 \. NJ. they go
in for bread and cheese and beer. Some
| body once said that. lunch is a retec-
ton on your breakfast and an insult to
your dinner,' and it is pity that more
people do not bear this in mind. You
can never expect to have a good appetite
unless you allow a good five hours to
elapse between each of the chief meals
of the day.
Now a word OF two about some of
what may be called the curiosities of ap-
petite. Sometimes mother brings her
boy to the doctor and says she thinks he
must have worms she is always eating,
he is never satisfied" If the boy is
strong and well nourished, let him eat by
all means, and do not be stupid enough
to give him anything to spoil his appe-
tite. We do not suppose he has any
worms, and even if he has it does not
matter very much. They will not do
any harm, and it is only fair that they
should have feast once in while. At
all events, if they do give any trouble,
! there is never much difficulty in getting
rid of them, and we will speak of the
different modes adopted for their expul-
sion by and by. In diabetes mellitus,
OF sugary diabetes, there is often most
nordinate appetite. 1t is no joke in the
case of Il poor man. Sometimes they
seem as if they would eat almost any
quantity, and we certainly should not
| like to contract for them. llysterical
young ladies' often exhibit the most de-
praved appetites; they will eat almost
| anything, from slate pencils to egg shells.
| Few people like cindefs as an article of
diet, but they really seem to enjoy them.
| 1t is to be feared that these fancics are
| often foStered by encouragement; at all
events they are less frequently heard of
| among the poor, who have not the means
of gratifying them, than in the higher
ranks of society. What is to be done for
loss of Appetite In the first place it is
|
of the circumstances we have mentioned
as causes of this complaint. BE regular
in your habits; get up early; do not stay
out late at night; take plenty of out
door exercise; have your bowels well
open every morning: do not drink much
tea; be quite sure that you are not smok-
ing too much and are not taking more
than you ought to in the way of stimu-
liant. 1t is great thing if you can dine
| in cheerful, pleasant society-the exam
pie of eating seems to be almost contagi-
Gus. 1t is astonishing what a great deal
of bad cookery has to answer for in the
way of exciting distaste for food. The
practice of taking bitters before meals
is a common one. 1t is undoubtedly 4
bad habit, but in certain functional de-
rangemcnts of the stomach an occasional
gin and bitters or sherry and bitters may
have its advantages.
Probably the drug most frequently en-
ployed with the view of stimulating the
jaded appetite is quinine. Two table
spoonsful of the tonic quinine mixture
should be taken about half an hour be-
fore meals or two tablespoonful of qui-
nine wine will do equally well. The in
fusion of quassia may also be used for
| Al, off ,. l,-