The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-02-14
Beef Tea.

frequently ordered by physicians is that
its peculiar qualities are better under
stood. A more careful analysis of it
has been made, and both the doctor and
the nurse have learned when beef tea
is useful and when it is not. There is,
however, so much ignorance about such
matters that somewhat brief explana-
ton of what is beef tea may be advisa-
BILE. In former article the non-nutri-
tive character of gelatine was explained.
If men or animals were fed alone on
the gelatine they would perish of mani
ton. Gelatine is substance which is
not assimilated; it gives nothing of it.
self which can alone build up the hui
man economy. AS vehicle of nutri-
ment it has, however, great usefulness.
heterogeneous substances, the albumi-
noids and those necessary salts can be
given in gelatine in an admirable way.
Now, beef tea, unless properly pre-
pared, is, in fact, nothing more than
solution of gelatine, containing the
salts of the meat, but with little, if any,
nutritive qualities. Give beef tea alone
to a sick person, and, though it may act
for time as nervous food" Just as
would tea or coffee as stimulant, it
never could build up bone or muscle,
and consequently that strength which
the patient must acquire to drive away
disease would never come. When soup
or beef tea is made, the fluid itself con-
tains mostly the gelatine, certain ex-
tractive matters, the salts and some of
the fats. The albuminoids, which ex-
listed at first in solution, when the fluid
arrives at the boiling point coagulate
and become almost insoluble. 1t is the
flesh which remains over, which may
still contain the major portion of the
nourishment; though not in digestible
condition. Now, under certain circum-
stances, when the meat is taken away
from the fluid, in every 1000 parts of
soup there are rarely more than ten
parts of solid matter. Now Liebig
himself never asserted that beef tea
and extract of meat contained SUBJ
stances necessary for the formation of
albumen in the blood and muscular It's
sues, and even more, in one of his latest
articles he stated, d" that those constit-
uents of the meat which are soluble in
boiling water take no part in the for
nation and renovation of muscular It's
sues, but by their effects on the nerves
they exercise most decided influence
on the muscular work, wherein meat
differs from all other animal and veg
etable food" Now the upshot of all
this, without confusing the reader with
the names of all the soluble compounds
to be found in solution derived from
beef, is that this fluid has its sphere of
usefulness, though it may be limited
one. Such preparations, then, of beef
tea which may be procured are en-
ployed only as mild stimulants. To
make them nutritive the task is not
difficult one. A good method is to take
reputable beef tea, such as is sold
almost anywhere, and, having dissolved
it, to put in it some very finely chopped
lean meat When the meat is added,
boil in a water bath until the meat is
cooked, and then you have not only the
stimulating, but the nutritive, qualities
impaired. What is most desirable to
be understood about this is, that beef
tea alone, or beef extract, has a mini
mum of nutrition. Some ten years ago
there is no doubt that the wild use of
beef tea had most disastrous effects on
infant life. As it contains q rather alb
normal quantity of salts, with little of
any nutritive qualities, differing as far
as possible from milk, children fed with
beef tea, if they did not die of diarrhea,
persisted of absolute starvation.-Nea
York Times.