American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-09-24

meat is cooked too much, especially
when it is prepared by the process Of
frying. The tissues are hardened, thus
rendering the process of digesto on
more difficult, and overtaXing the
powers of the stomach. Both Ameri-
cans and Englishmen are fond of beef
steak, and it is an article of food that is
grateful to the palate, and affords no
little gustatory pleasure while being
eaten, and likewise is of great value in
its nutritive and healthful properties,
when properly cooked. We fry ours to
crisp in large amount of lard, rem
dering it difficult of sufficient mastica-
ton, requiring a far greater amount of
labor on the part of the stomach to
digest it so that it can be assimilated;
and by being overlooked it is robbed
of a large share OF its nutritive proper
ties. On the other hand the English
send it to the table rare, cooked
through. indeed, but not SO thoroughly
saturated and impregnated with grease
soft, juicy, easily masticated, and far
more easily digested. To the differ
ence here indicated, in the manner of
cooking this article of diet. to a great
extent doubtless, may be attributed the
difference in the corpulence, rotundity,
freshne7 IS of countenance, and general
indications of health. between our En-
glish cousins and ourselves.
We eat too fast. Our food should be
thoroughly masticated and completely
Incorporated with the secretions of the
glands of the mouth the saliva-be-
fore it is swallowed. Is this done by
the average American? BY no means.
Much of our food is swallowed when
not half sufficiently masticated and in
salivated. So that it is reduced to a
condition of sufficient Gneness as not to
produce strangulation when we attempt
to swallow it, down to the stomach it
goes, for that organ to complete what
was only commenced, and ought to
have been thoroughly finish, in the
mouth. What is the result? So soon
as food is taken into the stomach that
organ is stimulated to motion, termed
the ''peristaltic motion of the
stomach" by which the food is sub
jected to churning operation, passed
from one part of the stomach to an
other until it is reduced by this action
and the solvent power of the gastric
juice, to sem-iuid state. which as
fast as formed passes out of the stom-
ach through its lower orifce, the
pyloric, into the lower stomach or
duodenum. Now the more thoroughly
the food is masticated and insalivated in
the mouth, the more readily does the
gastric juice act upon it, and dissolve it
to the condition of chyme. If it is swal-
lowed half masticated, in Jumps just
SIN IL enough to pass through the
q ,phagus into the stomach without
CHI liking us, it requires much longer
''churning' operation in the stomach to
reduce it to the condition that it can be
acted upon by the gastric juice. The hard
Jumps excoriate the tender, sensitive
mucous lining of the stomach. VIII CHI
becomes irritated and liberated. This
condition o. the stomach causes indi-
gestion-as it is Il matter of impossible
ity for it to perform its functions prop
erly-the food taken into it lies there
undigested, causing painful, Disagree
able sensations in the gastric region,
often headache, eructations of acid gas,
loss of appetite. The food, not being
properly digested and assimilated, of
course the strength of the entire sys-
tenn lessons. The victim becomes
gloomy, often morose, and life, which
might have been all sunshine and en-
ioyment, becomes a burden and unen-
ioyable. Eating bread too re emily
baked il another cause of this affection.
In that condition it forms n dough in
the stomach, combining with the fluid
of the stoma III and what is drank while
eating In this cond ton the gastric
juice cannot so easily exert its solvent
powers it remains longer time in the
stomach, and the results are the same
as in the instance just cited.
In Germany, the Government wisely
places safeguard around its subjects
in this particular. 1t is penal offense
for public baker to offer for sale, or
vend, raised bread within twenty four
hours after it is baked.-J b. iI0dy, NJ
d.. in !FeSterR Rurai.