Smyrna times., 1880-10-06

FoCD AS AFFECTING LoNGEvITY.-It is un- |
questionably the fact, attested by all our |
cbservant octogenarians and even by those |
of three score and under that of human life
on this Peninsula has been very consider
ably prolonged in the latter years. There
has been an average of at least ten years
to the period of life. Fifty years ago an
individual was considered old when he
had passed his half hundred years and
quite old at 60,-that age being fully as far
advanced then as 20 or IS is now. Much
the larger number who passed the middle
age died between 30 and 60. The newness
of the country had much doubtless to do
with this; the swamps were not SO we'll
cleared, the lands drained and the acids OF
the soil noutralzed by the use OF lime and
phosphate as now, but we think there is
another solution to the question, namely,
the greatly improved dietary habits of to-
day over the period of the fathers. The
science of cooking has taken long step
| in advance since the introduction OF the
cook stove, less than fifty years ago, and
while much may be claimed for the great
improvement in the preparation OF health
ful food there is still another item for its
health giving properties that takes prece'
dence of it. We refer to the food itself in
great multiplication of varieties, its man
ner of preservation and preparation for the
table. Then the seasons furnished their
courses of food and there was little tapping
over. The summer did we'll enough pos
sibly because it furnished q variety in the
ripeninC fruits Of the season, but even
then the staple was "hog and hominy' for
the quantity of wheat raised was only a
fraction of what it is now, and much less
relied on as an article Of diet. In the winter
and spring there was little change in the
food from day to day, week to week and
month to month, pork beans cabbage and
bread until the system was worn out with
diet that was tax to the vital forces
! The most important break in the eradica
ton of this fixed diet was perhaps the dis
+ covery of the canning process about thirty
years ago. This has been followed in rapC
succession by so many discoveries in the
: preparation of articles of food and luxu
ries as to obliterate the seasons and put /
in the power even of those of moderate
y means to enjoy throughout the winter ant
= spring nearly all of the luxuries Of tn
!. previous summer. The scurvy so mucl
] dreaded in sea voyages in former years
9, now rarely if ever heard of because by tn
= new preparations the sailors diet of sal
# food can be daily or frequently variet
o Formerly comparatively little fruit wa
D. served on the table. 1t was not locke
at upon as q food proper We only had
r dried in the sun or prepared "pound f
n, pound" Under such conditions the col
J. sumption was necessarily limited. I'll
cooling diet to the blood as the coolir
IL drink to the "calomel and jalap" patien
" was denied, and even the doctors ha'
y: learned that there is more than one way
os administer medicine. There are now healt
of full dishes that our forelathers knew n
ho of. Even the famous "dred apple" h
Ill OSeu WOHNSlluhy ilhpiO'SN ." tN"'ANJ
ed the improved process of evaporating. Al
nd by the canning process the dishes for wint
it are almost as varied as those of SUNNI
ng and on many tables the season now is Of
ore consequence-vegetable and fruit can
ire had as desired by the palate. In additi
6n to canned fruits, corn, tomatoes, beans, d
~ we have cracked wheat, oat meal, canned a
spiced meats, fowl and fish fermentaciC
tod dish conducive to health as well as pie
ure until what the thrifty housewii
pantry does not afford can be fully 81
op- piled from the grooer's well filled shelV
thy The great advance in the articles and th
at preparation for food would have been
are improbable to our forefathers as the
my vance that has been made in the arts Q
1'o sciences. They did not even utilize
~ things around them, the tomato for
oh stance forty years ago had not becom
.oIv general article Of diet. To this change
oof we said in the beginning of this article,
of think may be attributed more than to q
his thing else the considerable increase of
ami general average Of life.
and