The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-04-28
rs 1T ADULTERATION.
A Probable Cause of Dyspepsia.

For some time the Scientific Medical
World has been aSita ted over the great
frequency of dyspepsia. SO prone are
the American people to this most dis
tressing malady, it is regarded, by for
eIgners, as disease due to the mode of
life Of Americans, or to some peculiar
atmospheric condition. Dyspepsia has
long been regarded as one of the prices
of our civilization with much prcsump-
tive evidence in favor of this belief.
During a residence of three years at an
Indian reservation, and coming in con-
tact with the Indians, III professional
capacity, almost daily during that
period, / have yet to see an Indian sui
fering with weak digestive organs.
On examining the official reports of
army medical officers, one is struck by
the infrequency with which dyspepsia
occurs among the enlisted men,
The question arises, why should those
persons leading rough frontier life
have this lmmunIty9 If we investigate
we will find that a probable cause lies
in the difference in certain kinds of food
eaten by the inhabitants of towns, and
those living on the verge, or beyond the
pale, of civilization.
OF late years the consumption of "Ba-
king Powders" has increased very re-
markable; in every house we find this
article. 1t is not our purpose to pass
wholesale condemnation on baking pow
dcrs for some of the brands contain no
injurious ingredients while others con-
tain constituents which arc well known
to be injurious when taken into the
stomach, even in small quantities, for
a con siderable length of time. That
injury will be done to the delicate mu-
cuous membrane lining the stomach, in
every case, | do not affirm, but that
many persons, of weakly constitution,
will be, and are injured by the con-
sumption of certain dcleterous in
gradients in some of the baking pow
ders manufactured, there can be no
doubt.
The efficiency of baking powders
depends upon the amount of carbOnic
acid gas, which is evolved from it,
when used An analysis of three pow
ders, most used in this section of
country, was made i'm Nov. 1881, by
Prof. Dodge, of the State University,
and showed the following amount of
carbonic acid gas produced dy decom-
posing one ounce avoirdupOis, at $50 F.
DR.. Prices baking powder sl.2 cubic
inches. The Prof. further found that
the Snow Flake was free from all traces
of ''alum, terra alba, and ammonia com
pounds"
A recent analysis of the Snow Flake,
by Prof. Jones, of carbOnic acid gas To
each ounce of the powder. Analysis of
the Royal, made Feb. II, 1881, by
Wright Il Merrill, of st. Louis shows
six per cent. of ammonia salt to exist.
1t is well established medical fact,
that any alkali taken into the stomach
with the food, will neutralize IA certain
amount of the normal gastric juice, and
to that extent impair the digestive
power of the stomach. If the admins
tration of alkali is continued the
stomach will secrete more juice to sup
pIv the place of thai portion neutralized
bv the alkali; this effort of the stomach
will continue until there is too great an
amount of acid juice secreted, and the
person has acid dyspepsia.
Further, ammonia is q diffusible
stimulant, and is very irritating in
large, or concentrated doses, and is, Ol
course, irritating to less degree in
small doses. When taken into the
stomach, for considerable length o.
time, it is apt, by acting as local irri
tant, to cause congestion and, later, ,
catarrhal condition of the mucus mem
brane with the necessary accompanying
dyspepsia.