Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-03
BEEF TEA AND HOW TO USE IT.

Nanv persons have wanted to know why
of late years the conspicuous position given
to beef tea, and the various extracts of
beef manufactured or otherwise prepared,
have not been so much in use now as in
former times. The reason why beef tea is
not so frequently ordered by the physician
is that its peculiar qualities are better un-
derstood. 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, how
ever, so much ignorance about such mat
tiers that somewhat brief explanation Of
what is beef tea may be advisable. In a
former article the non-nutritive character
of eelatine was explained. If men or
animals were fed alone on the gelatine
they would perish of hamilton. Gelatine
is a substance which is not assimilated !;
it gives nothing of itself which can alone
build up the human economy. As
a vehicle of nutriment it has, however,
great usefulness. heterogeneous substances,
the albuminoids, 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 So
luton of gelatine, containing the salts OF
the meat, but with little If any nutrltive
qualities. Give beef tea alone to sick
person, and though it may act for time
as 'snervous food, just as would tea or
coffee as a stimulant, it never could build
up bone or muscle, and consequently that
strength which the patient must ac-
uuire to drive away disease would never
come. When soup or a beef tea is made,
the fluid itself contains mostly the gelatine,
certain extractive matters, the salts, and
some of the fats. The albuminoids, which
existed 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 con-
tain the major portion of the nourishment,
though not in digestible condition. Now,
under certain circumstances, when the meat
is taken away from the fluid, in every 900
parts of soup there are rarely more
than 10 parts of solid matter Now, Lie
big himself never asserted that beef tea and
extract of meat contained substances neces-
sarv for the formation of albumen in the
blood and muscular tissues, and even more,
in one of his latest articles he stated ''that
those constituents of the meat which are
soluble in boiling water take no part IN the
formation 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
vegetable food" Now, the upshot of
all this, without confusing the reader
with the names of all the soluble COM
pounds to be found in solution derived
from beef, is that this fluid has its sphere
of usefulness, though it may be a limited
one. Such preparations, then, of beef tea
which may be procured are employed only
as mild stimulants. To make them nutri-
tive the task is not difficult one. Many
excellent receipts have been already given
for extracts of beef. A good method is to
take a reputable beef tea, such as is sold
almost anywhere, and, having dissolved it,
to put in it some very finely chopped lean
meat When this meat is added, boil in
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 minimum of nutrition. Some
ten years ago there is no doubt that the
wild use of beef tea had the most dis
astrous effects on infant life. As it
contains rather abnormal quantity of
salts, with little of any nutritive qualities,
differing as far as possible from milk, chill
dren fed with beef tea, if they did not die
of diarrhea, persisted of absolute starva-
ton. If, however, beef tea is given to
children-and it may often be used with
certain success-it should have the white
of an egg mixed with it, or be thickened
slightly with barley-water. When people
were hungry in Paris during the siege, and
starving mothers could not nourish their
children, it seems that good many infants
were induced to live-for normal growth
it was not-by the above regime. IN. Y.
Times