Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-12
Causes of Dyspepsia.

Unquestionably the most prominent
cause of dyspepsia with us-the leading
disease of this nation-is our rapid eat
ing, added to our luxurious diet. As
Yankee nation, we do not half chew our
food. It is not half insalivated- from
which fact the starchy foods especially
are unprepared for the stomach.
The anaconda may swallow. unmasti-
Gated, creature of half his size-for
that Is his nature the lion NAV eat his
qulverlng flesh III the same manner, for
meats do not demand the same chem
lcal change as starch, and indeed, all of
the carnlvora may initiate the Yankee
with degree of safety and propriety.
but the herbivora must chew the "cud,"
and how patiently they do that duty
and Tor scientific reasons. If we admit
that man Is omnivorous, we must know
that starch enters so much into his diet
as to demand thorough mastication far
more than Is usual, especially with those
who are cited to the bell-rope." It
must be plain that whatever failure
there may be IN the foundation processes
must render the labor of all succeeding
processes not only more difficult but i'm
perfect, thus over-taxing the digestive
organs on the one hand and furnishing
inferior blood on the other-of course
atfording less body-power. And then our
but little less than abominable cookery or
food-spoillng, in which the most indi-
gestlble compounds are produced, fear
fully taxing and exhausting the digest
i've powers, does its part of the work.
As nation we have sadly departed from
the simplicity of the fathers, fearfully
dlsregarded the plainest conditions of
good digestion. It might also seem that
the cook and the undertaken not the
doctor-have conspired to introduce as
many as possible of schemes to destroy
health by rendering unwholesome dishes
as attractive as possible. The irritants
of the castor goad the digestive organs
to perform an unusual and unnatural
amount of labor, leaving them in an ex-
cited and debilitated state.
With the use of such complicated
dlshes-a combination of ingredients.
all Of which are difficult of digestion
and the unnatural irritation-it would
be matter OF surprise if the stomach
should not yield and become dyspeptic.
And to all this we may add the fact that
the animal albumen is generally rem
dered nearly or quite useless by wrong
cooking. This is the most prominent ele-
ment Of the egg, while meats are rich in
lt-this sustaining about the same rela-
ton to animal foods that gluten does to
the grains.
Now, it is a chemical fact that this
albumen IS coagulated and rendered in
soluble and innutritious at tempera-
ture of from 140 to 165 degrees, Fab
renheit, the same being true of the &C
ton of alcohol. Now, if the egg is
cooked IN the usual manner, or till it
becomes hard, or if it is washed down
with any alcoholic drink, the labor of
the stomach is increased in disposing of
an indigestible article, while the body
is robbed of the nourishment of very
Important constituent of our food. The
same principles apply to the cooking of
the albumen OF meats, though a thor
ough cooking may seem needful in the
destruction of the parasites, now alarm
lngly prevalent in some meats, espe-
cially pork.
And since the saliva is of an alkaline
character, it is probable that much
harm results from too free use of acids
so far as this is concerned by which
the saliva is neutralized. In the stom-
ach the acids stimulate, acting also on
the liver, but it may be that their use.
especially with starchy foods, is unfa-
vorable-Dr. IL II. Ha'aaford, in DR..
Foote's Health Monthly.