Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-04
BEEF TEA TOO TAlN.


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A Heidelberg graduate gave . reporter
some facts and figures the other day that
win surprise . majority Of people. He
aid "It is . thing most curious that
almost everybody seems to regard beef t.
Al q kind Of essence of al the nutritious
and strengthening qualities Of the meat.
You will even bear some doctors talk
about building up their patients on beef
tea. Now, tho fact 10 there II In . bowl
of beef tea but little moro nutrimsat than
there n in . glass oflemonade. How could
there be-? We know that the principal
nutriment parts of beef, besides its Is per
cent. of water, arc albumen and fat. Now
albumen coagulates at 10 degrees Faren.
heit, and at 212, the boiling point, it be-
comes like eggs hard boiled, As conse-
uuepce the albumen contained in the meat
becomes entapgled in tho meshes and Is
held there. OF course, then, the albumen
does not find it, way into the beef tea. As
for tho fat, tho only remaining strength
enipp ingredient, that comes to the top
and Is always carefully skinned off, fer
nothing is moro disgusting to q sensitive
appetite than greasy beef tea. And yet
YOU will say that well made beef tea is
very palatable and seems to do good in
many cases of weak and disordered stom.
achs, stimulating and nourishing.
$50 it is and so it does. And yet beef
tea is not Dourishing. 1t is stimulating,
however, and when We are sick and have
no appetite We know that five can get the
stomach to retain . cup of beef tea it will
not be long before the organ will call for
something that is really substantial and
nourishing. 1t has tue same stimulating
effect as q glass of brandy or whisky,
without entailing the depressing after
effect which alcohol produces. The ingre
dent that gives to beef tea its strong,
agreeable flavor is fluid that is dissolved
out of the white fbrous tissues of the
meat, and which, as l said before, is no
more nOurishing than SO much lemon
Juice. An experiment was made on three
dogs, all as nearly alike as to age and size
as We could get them. The dogs we're all
shut mp in separate pens, side by side.
For the first dog was ordered a diet of
Leibig's extract of beef and all the water
he wanted to drink. Dog No. was re-
stricted to water only, being allowed moth
ing whatever to eat, while the third
animal was allowed neither food of any
kind to eat nor water. OF course the dog
that had no water was the first to die but
if you should guess which was tho next to
succumb you would probably make a
mistake. 1t was not the dog that was
allowed nothing to eat, but the one at the
other end of the row, who died with a
quantity of the meat extract within six
inches Of his nose. Nog No. 3, with moth
ing in his kennel but water, got along
we'll enough for about q month and then
died suddenly. We expected him to re.
main about six weeks, but think the
death of the other dogs had distressing
effect on him. Now, it is just as certain
that the dog which died with the Leibig's
extract under his nose was starved to
death as it is that dog No. died from the
same effect.