Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-16

SRCnOw oN sOuPs AVN Rn0ru
The distinguished German profeszo,
and politician has been accused of be.
ing the chief opponent of SCUM. He
says that this IL no. true. for he had
merely said that mea. bro:hs are nei.
taer nutritious nor substantial" That
II al the meat which one uses shogld
De boiled ard soup made of it. the mea;
~ould become for the greater part indi
ges1hle, and the soup would not be a
substitute for it. Broth, he saws. ia an
article of luxury. which only the CON.
paretiyeiy veii-to-do can AFFORD. A
family that only can Just make both
ENDS meet, should learn to deny them.
selves this luxury, since they have a
similar one In their coffee. A rich man
can afford to eat aoup: while the sick
sometimes must have IL
ORDINARY meat broth or bouilliop In
ITS pure form can only be recognized az
q condlment. By the addition of epRp,
hour, tat AID other things, il may &C
Quirs q certain noorishinQ and heating
value. 1t Is, primarily, only a very dilute
aqueous solution Of substances that are
IN part OF low value as heat producers,
such as gelatine, and in part Of the
stimulating aromatic parts Of the meat.
1axen warm 1t Is nearly the same value
as coffee or tea, but is inferior to wine,
schnapps Or beer, it only stimulates the
nerves. It has ons advantage over
every other condiment, namely, it con-
tains no poisonous substance. it is in
comparably milder, hence much better
adapted to feeble persons, and finally it
can be very conveniently combined
with substances that are actually nutri-
tious. and imparts to them an agreeable
and "substautial'' taste.
1t must be admitted that these stimu.
Iants lsOup and Coffee because they are
stimulants, have more significance than
mere condiments. BY their stimulating
power they awake the slumberinp ener-
gles. So long as power is left to exert
tins energy these stimulants are able to
vitalize these forces. Hence it produces
the impression Of being itself strength
cfllng. IL has not OI Itself TINS pUsoa /,
1t can only awaken other forces already
present, but cannot create them. A tir-
ed organ, tired laborer, can find new
strength in a stimulant, because it
arouses within him certain powers
which would not Otherwise have come to
his aid. In this lies the secret, and at
the same time the beneficial effect, of
many stimulants, so that they are. of
course, more than mere condiments or
fayors, and become, to a certain extent,
tools. Used in moderation, they can
do much good in this direction. But
1t must not be forgotten they are not
food, and that every energy brought
forth by stimulants requires a double
influx of substance to replace that con-
sumed, SO that it may not result in ex-
haustion. Condiments can never take
the place Of nouriShing food.
4 large portion of our food, it il true.
acts at the same time as condiment,
and even as stimulant. By this is not
meant those natural mixtures of nutYi-
tive and stimulating substances SO fire.
quently found combined in vegetables,
nor yet those Artificial compounds pre-
pared by skilled cooks, but rather food
which has been eaten. refreshss and
person long before the
real digestion has been finished. A Ia
borer, who is tired and hungry, has set
before him a meal of meat and pota-
toes, and as soon as bis meal is eaten he
feels refreshed and ready for work
again. Nevertheless, it is three or four
hours before the meat ia dissolved and
absorbed into the blood. and even if a
portion of the potato starch is convert.
cd into sugar or glucose while he is
chewing II. 1t is decidedly the smallest
portion. Tho feeling Of strength which
the man 10 sensible of cannot possibly
come from the assimilation of his food
into the tissues. Its direct effect upon
the surface of the organs of digestion
and very slight absorption of the ma
terial into the blood exert sufficient
stimulus to overcome or relieve tho
weary condition. It is only on this
ground that We can explain why drink
of fresh cool water, sip of wine or
beer, seems to be as invigorating or even
more 80, than piece of roast beef, al
though not to be compared with it in
permanent effects.
The first invigorating effects that we
experience after a meal is either due to
the action of the condiment or ia the
result of those properties of food which
place them on the same footing with
mere condiments. AfterwArd the true
digestion takes place, the replacing Of
the material consumed in work, and
with it the sensation of permanent
strengthening.
1t is this point Of view that is lost
sight of by the new school of physiolo-
gists who treat Of nature and susie
nance. The confusion that exists in re-
gard to the best method Of giving nour-
ishment is natural result of the very
onesided treatment of the whole Ques-
ton, from purely chemical view, and
the error is increasing rather than 9TH
erwise. Chemical investigations have a
very subordinate importance in recog-
nizin9 the exciting power of real food
and Of condiments; the physiological
view must here be taken. Virchow,
therefore, attempts to restore to the lat
ter science, physiology, its old rights.
and hopes to protect scientists and laity
from that one sidedness which always
supplants one error by another, and
which has nowhere led to more visible
results than in this important and III
teresting domain.
The words Of so careful a writer and
so thorough an investigator deserve the
attention of thinking men on both
sides of the question.